The cutting-steel ceremony in Croatian Brodosplit Shipyard marked the continuation of constructing a series of coastal patrol vessels contracted for the Croatian Ministry of Defence. With 43.16 meters in length and 8 meters in width, the vessels will be equipped with basic armoury of all contemporary coastal guards, the 30-mm automatic gun, two manually operable 12,7-mm machine guns and four portable air defence rocket systems. The prototype of the coastal patrol ship Omiš, delivered two years ago, significantly improved operational capabilities of the Croatian Coastal Guard and regularly conducts search and rescue operations.
“We are convinced that the vessel will satisfy all our requirements. That ship, with its capacity, fulfils all the needs of the Croatian Navy, supervision of Ecological and Fishery Protection Zone (EFPZ)and territorial waters if needed. Its primary purpose is the implementation of tasks from the domain of the Croatian Coast Guard. With its capabilities the ship can also perform part of the combat missions, primarily in support of the Croatian Navy Fleet”, said Commodore Damir Dojkić, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Croatian Navy.
“The construction of coastal patrol boats is at the set pace. Our plan is the serial production of such vessels as there is a surge of interest for them, while the prototype has proven that this is a first-class product”, said Ante Žižić-GuÅ¡o, the technical director of Brodosplit-Shipyard for special facilities.
The Croatian-made patrol boat is powered by two 2525 kW engines fitted with an active rocking stabilization system that allows the ship to be fully operational at sea 4 and to meet NATO maritime criteria (STANAG 4154). It can sail at a maximum speed of 15 knots with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 nautical miles. The ship is equipped with a CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) protection system and 7.7-meter RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) able to carry 6 people.
