COTECMAR and Damen Inks Deal for Colombia’s New SIGMA 10514 Frigate

On Tuesday September 27, 2022 Colombian state-owned COTECMAR and Dutch shipbuilder Damen signed a contract for the co-development of the Contractual Design for the next generation of frigates for the Colombian Navy. The signing ceremony took place on board of the ARC Almirante Padilla in the Naval Base ARC Bolivar in Cartagena, Colombia. The design for the program Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (‘PES’) is based on the proven design of the SIGMA 10514 that was successfully constructed in other non-Damen shipyards.

During the contract Damen will update the design in order to meet the requirements of the end user, the Colombian Navy. The ambition to further develop the established maritime industry of Colombia fits perfectly in Damen’s strategy to cooperate with local shipyards like COTECMAR. Damen are proud of the successful cooperation in the ongoing project with COTECMAR for the Maritime Authorities DIMAR and the company look forward to continue in this next, important milestone. The company are grateful for the trust placed in us by the Colombian Navy and COTECMAR.

The SIGMA class is a Dutch-built family of modular naval vessels, of either corvette or frigate size, designed by Damen Group. SIGMA stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach. The basic design of the SIGMA Patrol Series can vary as the hull segments are designed as components. Ships can vary in the number of hull segments and in the order in which they are placed. The ship’s dimensions of length and beam lead to the individual SIGMA type names: the SIGMA 10513 is 105 m (344 ft 6 in) long with a beam of 13 m (42 ft 8 in).

The Damen Group is a Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering conglomerate company based in Gorinchem, South Holland, the Netherlands. It remains a private family-owned company. Damen Shipyards Group is a globally operating company with more than 50 shipyards, repair yards, and related companies. Damen is involved in ship construction as well as maintenance and repair activities. It has a wide product range, including tugs, workboats, patrol craft, warships, cargo vessels, dredgers, superyachts and fast ferries.