Cardama Shipyard received a first payment of EUR8.2 million (USD8.4 million) from Montevideo for the construction of two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the National Navy of Uruguay, the Spanish shipyard confirmed on 18 December.
The first virtual meeting between the Uruguay navy and Cardama Shipyard also occurred on 18 December to formally commence the project. The meeting included the service's General Director of Naval Materiel Rear Admiral José Manuel Ruiz Tocci, who has been selected as the programme's lead and will be the liaison with the Spanish shipyard, and Mario Cardama, Cardama's director general, the navy confirmed on 23 December.
The shipyard told Janes that it is moving forward “in all areas of the project”.
The OPVs will have a length of 86.75 m, will displace 1,542 tonnes, and a platform for a helicopter; the weapons systems will include a 30 mm cannon and a 12.5 mm machine gun.
In October 2024 Uruguay's Minister of Defense Armando Castaingdebat announced that the first OPV will be delivered in 2026.
For more information about Uruguay's efforts to bolster its patrol forces, please see Uruguayan navy reinforces fleet with used vessels .
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