Keel laid for Finnish Border Guard’s future patrol vessel

Polish shipbuilder Baltic Operator laid the keel of a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) slated for the Finnish Border Guard in a ceremony in Gdansk on Tuesday, March 12.

Construction of the OPV is being undertaken by Baltic Operator in cooperation with Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku and in compliance to Bureau Veritas class rules.

The OPV is the first of two improved Turva-class vessels that will replace two earlier patrol ships in the Finnish Border Guard fleet. The first new vessel is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025 while its sister will follow at the end of 2026.

The newer border guard patrol vessels will feature a number of improvements over their predecessors. These will include advanced surveillance and data transfer systems, propulsion machinery that will generate fewer emissions, and greater capacity for recovering spilled oil at sea.

The OPVs will also be used for search and rescue (SAR) missions.

Meyer Turku had earlier said that the improved Turva-class vessels will each have a projected service life of over 25 years.