NRP Viana do Castelo OPV
This function has been performed since the end of the 1960s by the João Coutinho class corvettes, which are in phase of progressive deactivation after more than forty years in the service of the Nation. However, the first series of NPO, NRP Viana do Castelo and NRP Figueira da Foz, are manifestly insufficient to replace the ten corvettes, so the entry into the service of more NPO is seen by the Navy as a very pressing need.
The fact of having this type of vessel seeks to meet the new realities that are currently being developed and developed in the maritime sphere materialized, among others, by the oil prospecting platforms, the installation project of an offshore regasification plant in Puntas de Sayago, the port of Conchillas, the project of the port of deep waters in Rocha, the constant increase of Ship to Ship activities to the South of La Paloma and Punta del Este, the increase in maritime traffic in all its expressions ranging from what is linked to tourism involving large-scale cruises and the Routes to Buenos Aires, to the transit of ships transporting dangerous goods (chemicals, hydrocarbons, etc.) and products in general.
These new realities are added to the tasks carried out normally such as the control of illegal fishing, the beaconing (to which the responsibility for the Martín García Channel has been added), the search and rescue at sea, etc. Within the process of reorganization and modernization of the Navy, these Ships and the naval helicopters that complement them for the execution of the aforementioned tasks, would constitute a further step within a process that does not fail to address the development of capabilities that the military role it imposes Portugal.
The contract for the construction of two NPOs was born from a project initiated between the Portuguese State and the Shipyards of Viana do Castelo (ENVC), which, led to the contractual formalization carried out in October 2002. Within the framework of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 183/2004 of 16 November, published in the Diário da República, 1st series, dated November 22 , 2004, a structured program and complete the purchase of vessels over 11 years - Relative to Program Acquisition of Ships Destined for the Portuguese Navy - PRAN. This was awarded, by direct agreement, to Viana do Castelo, SA, in view of its technical ability and with a view to ensuring the uniformity and continuity of the supplies initiated with the acquisition contracts of two oceanic patrol vessels and two ships of 15 October 2002 and 19 May 2004, respectively.
In 2004, the contract for the construction of two more slightly modified NPOs in order to be particularly focused on Pollution Control Vessels (NCP), but the shipyard's financial collapse did not allow these ships to materialize. NRP VIANA DO CASTELO and NRP FIGUEIRA DA FOZ, entered the service, respectively, on March 30, 2011 and November 25, 2013.
The process dragged on for several years, and it is only possible to resume it in 2015 following the subconcession of the factory infrastructure to the Martifer Group, which created the WestSea company to resume the shipbuilding and repair activity in Viana do Castelo. A decision was taken to reverse the construction of a variant project to the original to minimize the associated risk and cost increase, and this is how on September 25, 2015 a contract enters into force between the Portuguese State and the consortium in the meantime created between WestSea and Edisoft (CWSE), as a technology partner, for the construction of two more NPOs according to the original project and making use of existing materials and equipment.
Thales in Portugal carries out activities in the Defence field through EDISOFT. With the increasing complexity of the challenges to maintain safety at sea, the technological capacity can be crucial for the success of a mission. The EDISOFT solutions are designed to simplify the coordination of assets deployed by joint and/or coalition forces, contributing to information sharing, threats anticipation and decision support, thus providing superiority in the Command Chain. In Portugal, EDISOFT also provides operational support for combat systems, radars and simulation systems, together with advance integrated logistic support and configuration management for naval vessels.
Thanks to EDISOFT, Thales has taken part in various programmes for the modernisation of the Portuguese Navy. EDISOFT is for instance a key partner of the Portuguese Navy latest generation Oceanic Patrol Vessels (OPV) of the Viana do Castelo-class. In 2015, an order for additional ships consolidated the position of EDISOFT as the Portuguese leader in Naval Systems, pointing out the recognition of its engineering by the Portuguese Navy and the West Sea shipyard.
It should be noted that steel was not reused because of its long exposure to environmental elements. With more than a decade of hiatus between design and construction, technological and logistic evolution has made it necessary to modernize and evolve various equipment and systems, so NPOs of the second series necessarily present numerous differences NPO of the first series. That being said, care was taken to develop a strong effort to keep the configuration and operating methodology as similar as possible between the two NPO series for logistical simplification but, above all, to ensure maximum interoperability, which results in enormous benefits in the formation and training of the garrisons.
The sea trials of the future NRP SINES, construction C008 of the WestSea shipyards of Viana do Castelo, were carried out on a continuous basis between 11h on May 28, 2018 and 5pm on the 30th of the same month, culminating a whole genetic phase which started from flat steel sheets, machinery and equipment and which resulted in a military ship that will soon be operational. This is the first of the second oceanic patrol vessels (NPO) of the second series, intended to reinforce the Portuguese Navy's patrol device. After the sea test phase, the integration of the garrison by training and training in Viana do Castelo followed a training phase at the School of Marine Naval Technologies in Alfeite, and the formal delivery to the Navy.
The Portuguese Navy commissioned its fourth Viana do Castello-class offshore patrol vessel in a ceremony at the West Sea Shipyards, in Viana do Castelo, on 28 December 2018. NRP Setúbal, as the vessel is named, was launched in September 2017 and joins sister ships NRP Viana do Castelo, NRP Figueira da Foz and NRP Sines. Setúbal is the second of two OPVs built by West Sea Shipyards under a contract from 2015.
The lead ship of the Portuguese Navy Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessels joined the European frontier and coast guard agency Frontex arriving at the Italian port of Catania on 10 October 2017. NRP Viana do Castelo will be contributing to the control and surveillance of maritime borders in addition to standing ready for the rescue of migrants at sea. The mission will be coordinated by Italian authorities but will involve a number of naval and air assets from various EU member states. The patrol vessel has embarked Portuguese Imigration and Borders Service officials.
NRP Figueira da Foz (P361) - the Portuguese Navy's second of two Viana do Castelo-class multi-purpose NPO (Navio de Patrulha Oceânica) offshore patrol vessels - was delivered to the navy equipped with the Modular Advanced Remotely controlled Lightweight Naval Weapon Station (MARLIN WS) system. The ships are designed and built by Portuguese shipbuilder ENVC (Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo). Two weapon stations were purchased in 2010 under a EUR4 million (USD5.3 million) contract awarded to Finmeccanica's OTO Melara by the Portuguese defence procurement agency DGAIED (Direção-Geral de Armamento e Infra-Estruturas de Defesa). The turrets are to be delivered from the navy's main base near Lisbon to the ENVC shipyard in northwest Portugal.
The Ocean Patrol Ship Sines was built at the West Sea / Edisoft Consortium Shipyards in Viana do Castelo and increased to the size of the Armada ships on July 6, 2018. It was designed as a non-combat vessel and is primarily intended to carry out functions of authority and to perform tasks of public interest in the areas of national jurisdiction or responsibility.
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