TSAMTO, February 18. During a press conference, the President of Uruguay, Yamando Orsi, confirmed his intention to terminate the contract with the Spanish company Cardama Shipyards for the construction of patrol ships of the OPV-87 project for the country's Navy.
The head of State announced the beginning of actions "to recover assets", as well as the launch of a new program for the purchase of patrol ships for the Uruguayan Navy.
I.Orsi announced his intention to terminate the contract with Cardama due to serious violations of its terms and initiate legal proceedings for damages. In addition, legal proceedings will be initiated to recover the assets of the Uruguayan State and institutional and individual responsibility for the purchase will be determined. The president called the resumption of the acquisition project with new suppliers the last step.
As reported by Defensa.com The decision is being made against the background of significant progress by Cardama in the construction and continued supply of previously ordered components. So, in the near future, Cardama should receive the detection tools of the Terma company and weapons from the EM&E Group. The management of the Spanish company does not comment on the situation and has relied on lawyers preparing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Uruguayan government to resolve it.
A contract worth $92 million for the purchase of two ships was signed with Cardama in December 2023, during the administration of President Lacalle Pou. In October 2025, President-elect Yamando Orsi announced his intention to terminate the agreement after discovering serious violations and signs of fraud against the Uruguayan state. Since then, the Uruguayan authorities and the Spanish company have failed to reach a compromise, despite numerous calls for mediation to resolve the dispute.
In his speech at the press conference, President Ya.Orsi also stated that he has already received alternative proposals from Colombia, India and Brazil. In this regard, it should be recalled that earlier it was reported about visits to Uruguay by representatives of the Colombian company Cotecmar, and at the end of November 2025, Brazil offered two Makae-class patrol boats, the cost of which is estimated at $ 51 million. At the same time, according to experts, Brazilian boats do not meet the requirements of the Uruguayan Navy, since their small displacement (490 tons) allows them to be used to patrol areas up to 90 nautical miles from the coast, and it is required to provide it at a distance of up to 350 nautical miles.
As CAMTO reported, the Government of Uruguay has decided to purchase two new OPV-87 patrol ships from the Spanish shipbuilding company Cardama in July 2023. The total purchase cost was 82.3 million euros.
The contract was signed in December 2023 and finalized in November 2024. The first payment of 8.2 million euros was made by the Ministry of Defense of Uruguay in December 2024. Cutting of steel for the construction of ships began in March 2025. The delivery was expected to be completed in 2026.
The application for termination of the contract became a problem, as it was the first order of new ships for the Uruguayan Navy in half a century. The decision taken by the Uruguayan authorities leads to lengthy legal proceedings, as well as a further delay in equipping the Uruguayan fleet with modern warships.
