TSAMTO, December 28. The Israeli company Israel Shipyards on its Linkedin page announced the start of construction of the first of two OPV-45 patrol ships ordered by an unnamed African state, which should be delivered to the customer within the next two years.
In July 2020, Israel Shipyards reported receiving an order from an unnamed African state for the supply of two OPV-45 project patrol ships. The ships are designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including protecting against the growing threat of piracy in the region. The agreement also includes ship maintenance and crew training, as well as the development of a service program within the Integration Logistic Support (ILS) package.
Later in the same month, the resource Africa Intelligence reported that the customer of the ships is probably Ivory Coast.
As reported by TSAMTO, the length of the OPV-45 ship is 45.7 m, the maximum width is 8.6 m, the draft is 2.4 m, and the displacement is 300 tons. Two MAN 6V 175D-MM diesel engines allow a maximum speed of 24 knots. The cruising range exceeds 3,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots. Crew-from 16 to 21 people, additional space is provided for up to 24 people.
The ship can carry a 7.2-meter rigid-hull inflatable dinghy (RHIB), and two standard 20-foot containerized modules for various missions can be loaded by an onboard crane.
As weapons can be used stabilized ship artillery installations of caliber up to 30 mm in the bow and 12.7-mm machine guns. According to the company, the ordered ships will be equipped with day / night reconnaissance systems, as well as stabilized weapons of Israeli production.
The OPV-45 can be equipped with remote-controlled weapon modules with a 23 mm, 30 mm or 50 mm automatic cannon, as well as non-lethal weapons.
