PAM (Patrulleros de Alta Mar)
The 200 miles outline of the nearest coasts, delimits according to international law, the state Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Argentine nation vindicates its jurisdiction of the EEZ. The live resources of the Argentine Sea include numerous species, where the hake, the illex squid and the prawn have the highest economic value. Fishing operations are performed by modern trawlers fitted with leading edge technology for navigation, match, processing and conservation of the fish.
In June 2006, the shipyard Astilleros Rio Santiago, located in Ensenada and property of the Buenos Aires government, presented a proproals of 130 million dollars to build the four ships and had even managed external and domestic funding to carry out the project, which provided a lead time of 62 months and employed full time about a thousand people.
Project PAM (Patrulleros de Alta Mar - High Seas Patrol) is for up to 5 OPVs of 1,800 tons. With a length of over 80 meters, the ships are to have diesel propulsion and to be armed with a 40mm gun. It can carry a helicopter therefore launch the anti-ship missiles from the helicopter.
The length of the vessels will be 80.60 meters, a width of 13 meters and a depth of 6.50 meters. The Rookies integrate a systematic order of construction. The design draft is 3.80 meters and will be the maximum speed at 20 knots (equivalent to 37 km / hours), while navigational autonomy should reach the 7,500 nautical miles (30 days). The crew onboard the ships reach 50 men and propulsion motor must be based on a combination electrically diesel diesel, with two controllable pitch propellers, two rudders and bow thruster maneuvers, all steel hull.
In late 2007 the Ministry of Defense authorized the Navy to sign an agreement with the Chilean state shipyard ASMAR for joint development of Multipurpose Ocean Patrol (POM), ship destined for the control of national waters to prevent illegal fishing, among other multiple functions.
Argentina planned to build four vessels, similar to what was already developing Chile licensed German shipyard Fassmer. To join the project paid 2,730,000 euros to acquire the basic engineering of patrol and in June last year another 500,000 euros to the shipyard Fassmer by the license agreement only the first unit. In total, the country had already cost 3,230,000 euros to join a program which still had no agreements with any Argentine or foreign shipyard and no precise start of construction of the ships to date.
The design of the PZM [Patrulleros de Zona Marítima] was developed by Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG, a Germany company to meet the Chilean Navy's requirements under the Danubio IV project. The contract for ASMAR to build the PZMs was signed in May 20, 2005, with Northrop Grumman, Sisdef (a consortium of BAE Systems and shipbuilder ASMAR (Chilean Navy)) and Rohde & Schwarz participating as main subcontractors at a cost of USD$54 million to be commissioned by 2012.
The design was purchased from the German shipyard Fassmer through ASMAR (Astilleros y Maestranza), a company of the Chilean Navy. Fassmer had conceived and elaborated the design of the ship but had not built any, but instead sold it to ASMAR, who have manufactured four units for the Chilean Navy to date. With the acquisition of the basic engineering of the POMs in 2004, ASMAR also obtained the license for their sale to other countries. Given this possibility, in 2007, the Argentine Ministry of Defense acquired the Fassmer design from the trans-Andean shipyard for 2.7 million euros and it was agreed that, when the construction of the local ships began, Chilean specialists would advise on the design engineering , detail and construction.
Chile and Argentina agreed to share the engineering of these ships to reduce costs and eventually designing a patrol in the future that could be sold to other countries in Latin America, according to statements by Defense Minister Jaime Ravinet. In Chile the vessels would be operated by the Coast Guard Service of the Chilean Navy and they would conduct patrol missions in Chile’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The design of the Proyecto Patrulleros de Zona Marítima was promoted by Chile as a common platform for South American Navies through the Proyecto Patrullero de Alta Mar Regional or Regional Offshore Patrol Vessel committee.
On 2008, Argentina ordered up to five PZM at a cost of USD$120 million as part of its own Patrulleros de Alta Mar (PAM) program to be constructed at its Río Santiago Shipyard. The ships were to be built at the Rio Santiago shipyard, with construction expected as of 2009 to begin in 2009.
In July 2010 Justice raided the Argentina subsidiary of the German company Ferrostaal and addresses of half a dozen retired marine, lawyers and businessmen investigated by the alleged payment of bribes for the purchase of Multipurpose Oceanic Patrol (POM - Patrulleros Oceanicos Multiproposito). Justice investigated a complaint by the Ministry of Defence after the revelation of the prestigious German magazine Der Spiegel revealed the declaration provided in Munich by a former manager of Ferrostaal who spoke of the alleged payment of bribes to award contracts in various countries, including Argentina. Argentina had paid 2.7 million euros for the purchase of "basic engineering" of POM, and other 500,000 euros for the construction license. In total, 3.2 million, 300,000 less than what was discussed before the German Justice. The president of Ferrostaal, Matthias Mitscherlich, had to resign over the scandal.
The proposed Multipurpose Oceanic Patrol (POM - Patrulleros Oceanicos Multiproposito) was modified several times since the original concept of Offshore Patrol (PAM) and once defined the agreement with the Republic of Chile for the Fassmer shipyard OPV 80 design. This resulted frozen product of research from the Anticorruption Office of the Federal Government on the alleged payment of bribes to officers of the Navy and Defense Ministry officials and ordering contesting from Rio Santiago Shipyard against the supply of Naval Industrial Complex Argentino (CINAR) during the first tender for the construction of ships, also within the new impetus that the Ministry of Defence had on the island and Antarctic interests of Argentina.
Finally in June 2010 the Argentine Government launched the construction of the first four in the Tandanor Shipyard. The Armada Argentina took in the Liberty Building the opening of the tender invitation to commission the construction of a series of four ocean patrol Multipurpose of 1,806 tons displacement. The statement was aimed at rallying the participation of Argentine public yards, located under both national and provincial orbit, which involved only the Argentine Naval Industrial Complex (CINAR, ex Tandanor and Almirante Storni) and the Rio Santiago shipyard under the Ministry Production of the province of Buenos Aires.
Both shipyards submitted bids for a total amount almost similar, which reached $675 million in the case of Rio Santiago and $689 million from the CINAR. In the following weeks the Navy will evaluate the technical bids to define the most suitable for the provision of such future fleet units.
All four were expected to be commissioned by 2016. The status of the projected fifth unit was unclear. Since the first announcement, the number of units (to be built in Argentina) was progressively reduced in each new statement, up to 4 vessels. And not least changing has been the model chosen, as if at any time it was assumed that the chosen was the NPO ( Navio Patrulha Oceânico ) Portuguese, later with great fanfare announced the Spanish-Argentine agreement for the construction ( and financing thorny issue if ever there) 4 units (BAM Maritime Action Ship) type designed by IZAR in Astilleros Rio Santiago ... for a few days the matter passed to the most absolute oblivion.
By 2014 measure were undertaken to remedy the failure of the project of the Ocean Patrol Multi Purpose (POM), which was modified several times since the original concept of Patrols High Seas (PAM) and once defined the agreement with the Republic of Chile for the OPV 80 design from Fassmer shipyard. But this resulted in a frozen product after the investigation by the Anti-Corruption Office of the National State on the alleged payment of bribes to officials of the Navy and officials from the Ministry of Defence and the order of contestation from Shipyard Rio Santiago against the supply of Naval Industrial Complex Argentino (CINAR) during the first tender for the construction of ships.
In any case, in an attempt to prevent the German scandal from being used politically, the POM project came to a standstill and was never reactivated. Lost that opportunity, the news that the national government wants to buy the patrol boats abroad would imply that that initiative loses total meaning, just when CINAR incorporated a good part of the engineering capabilities that the POM project required after the repair and modernization of the ARA icebreaker. "Admiral Irízar". In other words, when the shipyard is ripe to face a challenge of this type, which would imply a new qualitative leap in its technological capabilities and economic reinsurance, the Government itself would deprive it of the contract.
By May 2014 Argentina Navy was in advanced negotiations for the incorporation of a fleet of support vessels AHVS type, belonging to Artikmor Razvedka Neftegaz, the company exploring for oil and gas in the Russian Federation. It sent a commission to analyze the state of these prior to heading vessels contract. These are: Neftegaz-51, Neftegaz-57, Neftegaz-61 and TUMCHA (ex Neftegaz-71). They were built for the Soviet state in Szczecin, Poland, between 1986 and 1990. 81.37mts 16.3mts long and wide. Equipped with reinforced hull for polar operations, displace 2723 tons at full load, powered by two diesel engines Sulzer -Zgoda 6ZL 40/48 of 3600hp c / u, although there are differences between the units.
The third of the four Offshore Patrol Vessel 87 (OPV 87) ordered to Naval Group by Argentina was launched at Concarneau shipyard (Brittany). After the recent delivery of A.R.A. Piedrabuena, the third OPV A.R.A. Storni was launched on 10 May 2021. The ship was partly built in Lanester by Kership Lorient and assembled in Concarneau by Piriou Shipyards. 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 offered 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.
Jean-Claude Flandrin, Program Director, said: "The program continues to progress at a very steady pace, with the delivery on time of a vessel every six months, despite the global sanitary situation. The delivery of the A.R.A. Storni should take place in October this year, in line with the contract schedule.... We are proud of the trust that the Argentine Navy has placed in Naval Group for the supply of these latest-generation multipurpose vessels that will enable the country to carry out its sovereign missions. Their timely delivery despite the sanitary context demonstrates the Group's commitment to its Client", added Olivier Michel, Sales Director for Latin America.
The Argentinean Offshore Patrol Vessels benefit from innovations developed by Naval Group and sea proven by the French Navy, which has operated L’Adroit in several oceans for six years for multiple maritime security operations, either alone or in cooperation with other Navies, This range of ships also benefits from Naval Group's expertise in information and command systems, allowing for extensive surveillance of the maritime space and the detection of suspicious behaviours. 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 and sea-proven by the French Navy. The 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. Implemented by a reduced crew of 40 members, it is also able to accommodate about twenty extra passengers.
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