Naval Group Launches Third Argentine Offshore Patrol Vessel

Naval Group said it launched third of the four Offshore Patrol Vessel 87 (OPV 87) ordered by Argentina at Concarneau shipyard (Brittany).

After the recent delivery of A.R.A. Piedrabuena, the third OPV A.R.A. Storni was launched on Monday May 10th. The ship, which was partly built in Lanester by Kership Lorient and assembled in Concarneau by Piriou Shipyards, was launched yesterday.

This delivery is part of the contract signed by Naval Group with Argentina in 2018 to provide four multi-mission offshore patrol vessels. A.R.A. Bouchard (ex-L'Adroit) had been delivered in December 2019, two months ahead of schedule, and A.R.A. Piedrabuena, the first of the three newly-built patrol vessels, was delivered on April 13, 2021.

The third vessel of the series will offer the same assets and characteristics as the A.R.A. Piedrabuena. Better armed than the A.R.A. Bouchard, more motorized, equipped with an active stabilization system and a bow thruster, it is also “Ice proven”, i.e. adapted to navigation in the cold waters of Antarctica.

The A.R.A. Storni is equipped with the Polaris system and NiDL tactical data link system, specifically developed by Naval Group for state missions at sea.

The 87m-long Offshore Patrol Vessel is able to stay on deep seas during more than three weeks, to reach a speed of 20 knots and to accommodate a helicopter. It has a displacement of 1,650 tons and endurance of over 7,000 nautical miles. Implemented by a reduced crew of 40 members, it is also able to accommodate about twenty extra passengers. The boat’s boarding capacity us two light crafts of 9 meters and one 10-ton class helicopter.