Technical Transfer of Frigates to Portuguese Navy

The documents for the transfer of the Dutch frigates to the Portuguese Navy were signed today by the General Directors for Armaments of the Ministry of National Defence of Portugal and of the Netherlands. On the Portuguese side, the signatory was Vice Admiral Filipe Viergas.>> This action, an exclusively military procedure, took place in the Netherlands, and was attended by the Portuguese Navys Chief of Staff, Admiral Fernando Melo Gomes. The official delivery ceremony, as part of the celebrations for Navy Day, will take place in the presence of the Minister of National Defence, Nuno Severiano Teixeira.>> The commissioning of the two Bartolomeu Dias-class frigates is a major milestone in the reinforcement of the Navys fleet. These ships will replace the Joao Belo-class frigates that have been in service for about 40 years.>> The two new ships are fitted with modern technologies for systems automation, and thus require a smaller crew, but will deliver an increase in productivity and in operational availability.>> They can reach a top speed of 29 knots, and have a range of 5,000 nautical miles.>> -ends->>