Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), a subsidiary of the Netherlands-based Damen International Shipyards Group, announced on Thursday that it had launched the first (of three) Multimission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPVs) for the South African Navy (SAN). These new vessels will replace the SAN’s now elderly offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), which were originally strike craft (large missile boats) before their conversion to patrol vessels. (Although designated as inshore vessels, the new MMIPVs displace more – have a greater tonnage – than the OPVs they are replacing.)

“This is the culmination of three years of hard work by a dedicated team of people,” highlighted DSCT project manager Ian Stewart. “Ultimately, more than one-million man-hours of work will be invested in the construction of the three MMIPVs.” 

The contract was placed with DSCT by South African defence procurement, disposals and research and development agency Armscor, under the SAN’s Project Biro. The engineering of the MMIPV started in 2018 and its keel was laid in February 2019. “Despite the Covid lockdown period, our local skills and partnerships, resilient production schedule and advanced planning capabilities of our Cape Town team, allowed the different subcontractors and teams to work on the vessel in a safe manner,” assured DSCT human resources & transformation manager Eva Moloi.

The design of the MMIPVs incorporates Damen’s patented ‘Axe Bow’. This creates low resistance to the sea, allows high sustained speed in waves and improved seakeeping in the roughest waters. The vertical up-and-down movement of a ship’s bow in rough seas is greatly reduced and the consequent slamming of the bow into the sea is reduced to almost zero. These advantages also increase the safety of the vessel and its crew. 

In operation, the Axe Bow has reduced fuel consumption of the vessels fitted with it by 20% in comparison with equivalent vessels with other bow designs. This also reduces their carbon emissions.

The MMIPV design includes an aft (rear) multimission deck. This will be used to support operations by divers, search-and-rescue missions and anti-piracy operations. The first MMIPV underwent a ‘blessing ceremony’ on February 12. It has not yet been assigned a name but has been allocated the pennant number – an identification number for warships – P1571 (P standing for patrol).

The launch involved the more than 600 t vessel being transported from the DSCT shipyard to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Basin, where it was placed on Transnet Port Authority’s synchrolift and lowered into the water. The move was carried out at night by Mammoet South Africa using 48-axle Self-Propelled Mobile Transporters.