The South African Navy (SAN) has confirmed that South African defence procurement (and disposals and research and development) agency Armscor has been granted the authority to start the acquisition process for three new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and three new inshore patrol vessels (IPVs). This programme is codenamed Project Biro.

At the end of last month, IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that the SAN had received permission to go ahead with the project, but the respected journal did not know how many vessels would be bought. “The Project Study Report for Project Biro was approved on February 14,” SAN spokesperson Captain Zamo Sithole informed Engineering News Online on Thursday, via email. “This provides the authority for Armscor to go out to industry on a Request for Offer (RFO) – i.e. open tender. ... [T]he intention is still to acquire three OPVs and three IPVs under Project Biro.”

“All attempts are being made to promulgate the RFO before the middle of the year,” he noted. “The intention is to build and support all vessels acquired by the project in South Africa.” It is widely expected that the RFO will attract considerable interest from a large number of companies from around the world.

The OPVs will replace the current Warrior-class vessels, originally built as large missile boats (known in the SAN as strike craft), of which three have been converted into OPVs and a fourth is in the process of conversion. Each has a displacement of 450 t, full load. These are expected to be able to continue operating for no more than five years. For reasons of seaworthiness and endurance, and to be able to effectively operate a helicopter, the new OPVs are expected to be much larger, displacing perhaps 2 000 t or even more.

Currently, the SAN has three small IPVs, each displacing only 36 t. Again, the new IPVs will be much larger, probably displacing between 300 t and 500 t. The new IPVs will also serve in the mine countermeasures role when required, using containerised equipment.

South Africa has a coastline of about 3 924 km, including Prince Edward Island and Marion Island, which form a little group lying some 1 000 km south-east of Port Elizabeth. The country has greater or lesser authority over around 1 553 000 km² of sea. In addition, the country is in the process of claiming between 300 000 km² and 1 400 000 km² as part of its extended continental shelf claim under the United Nations Law of the Sea convention. The new OPVs and IPVs will help patrol these extensive waters.