Construction continues on new auxiliary vessels for the French, Indian, Spanish, and German Navies. Meanwhile, Australia and Japan have entered into an agreement regarding the supply of new stealth warships.
The third French logistic support ship, Émile Bertin, was launched at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire on April 17.
The launch forms part of a Franco-Italian programme managed by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to deliver six vessels.
The initiative seeks to provide four ships for the French Navy and two for Italy, with a further option for a third Italian vessel.
Following the delivery of the Italian ships Vulcano and Atalante, Émile Bertin follows the French vessels Jacques Chevallier and Jacques Stosskopf into production.
Privately-owned Indian shipbuilder Titagarh Rail Systems (TRSL) recently floated out a new catamaran dive support vessel (DSV) slated for the Indian Navy.
Designated A23, the 32-metre vessel is the fourth of five DSVs that TRSL has been contracted to build for the Indian Navy. Class lead vessel A20 was handed over in 2025.
In addition to being used for dive support, the vessels may also be used for diver training in harbours and coastal waters, marine salvage, and repair/maintenance of other vessels.
Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday launching their landmark AU$10 billion ($7 billion) deal to supply Australia with warships, Tokyo's most consequential military sale since ending a military export ban in 2014.
Defence Ministers Richard Marles and Shinjiro Koizumi signed a memorandum, "reaffirming the Australian and Japanese governments' shared commitment to the successful delivery," of the warships, Marles said in a statement.
The deal struck in August anchors Japan's push away from its postwar pacifism to forge security ties beyond its alliance with the US to counter China.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is to supply the Royal Australian Navy with three upgraded Mogami-class multi-role frigates built in Japan from 2029. Eight more frigates will be built in Australia.
The first steel has been cut for the third and final Class 424 intelligence vessel at the Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast.
The project was originally undertaken by Naval Vessels Lürssen, which was later acquired by Rheinmetall and integrated into its naval systems division.
The company stated that the ceremony took place ahead of the original production timeline. Upon commissioning, the vessel will be used jointly by the German Navy and the Cyber and Information Domain Service.
Freire Shipyard has launched the diving support vessel A22 Proserpina at its facility in Vigo on April 13. The company stated that the ship, identified as hull number 739, is scheduled for delivery to the Armada Logistics Support Command later this year.
The auxiliary ship measures 32.90 metres in length with a nine-metre beam and carries a crew of up to 15 members. It has a range of 500 nautical miles (926 kilometres) at a cruising speed of 10 knots.
Stability at depths of up to 90 metres is maintained through a dynamic positioning system and a three-anchor mooring system. The vessel carries a remotely operated vehicle capable of reaching 900 metres and an autonomous underwater vehicle with a 300-metre range, the shipyard reported.