Mexican Navy Commissions POLA-class Warship built by Damen

The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) has received the Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) Class vessel ARM Reformador, based on the Damen’s SIGMA Frigate and claimed to be the most advanced naval ship with a South American navy.

The delivery ceremony was attended by Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy. Damen Shipyards Group was represented by Executive Board member René Berkvens, President of Damen Shipyards Mexico Horacio Delgado, and POLA Project Director Frank Verhelst.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary of the Navy said, “this Long Range Ocean Patrol Vessel has completed its commissioning and trial phase to begin a life at sea in the service of the Mexicans…”

The POLA 101 is the most technologically advanced vessel in Latin America and will allow the Mexican Navy to carry out missions such as safeguarding Mexican sovereignty, international security cooperation, law enforcement, long range search and rescue operations and humanitarian aid. POLA will allow the United Mexican States to increase the surveillance coverage and the protection of their maritime interests beyond the 5 million square kilometers of Mexican jurisdictional waters.

The 107-metre long vessel is based on Damen’s SIGMA Frigate 10514 and is the tenth of its kind. For the Mexican project, two out of the six modules were built at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in the Netherlands. A Mexican team has been based in the Netherlands to supervise this process and to receive an intensive knowledge transfer. The remaining four modules were built at ASTIMAR 20 in Salina Cruz by the Mexican production team, subcontractors and suppliers.

Upon completion, the six different modules were brought together for final assembly, integration,commissioning and trials with assistance from Damen, including an intensive transfer of technology and training programme.