First-of-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) on order for the Norwegian Coast Guard Jan Mayen is progressing through its builder’s trials and is expected to be delivered to the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) and the coastguard in early 2023. Jan Mayen is the first of three new coastguard vessels being built by the shipbuilder Vard under a contract worth NOK7.2 billion (USD721 million), awarded in 2018. Janes reported that as part of the trials, the vessel completed its first successful sail under its own power in October. This was followed by a formal ceremony to christen the ship on 16 November. Second-in-class Bjørnøya arrived in Norway for outfitting in March 2022, and under current planning will be handed over to the NDMA later in 2023. The final ship, Hopen, is planned to be delivered in 2024.
In June 2018 it was announced that the Vard Group, a subsidiary of Fincantieri, will build three replacement vessels for NOK 5 billion (US$ 605 million); delivery of the three new vessels is scheduled to be in 1Q 2022, 1Q 2023, and 1Q 2024, respectively. Specially designed to withstand operations in arctic areas, the new coast guard vessels will have ice-strengthened hull and ice-class notation, and will be built according to the latest requirements for such specialized vessels and following the needs demanded by NDMA. With a length of 136 meters and a beam of 22 meters, the vessels feature strong ocean-going capacities for long-distance transits, search-and-rescue operations, surveillance, and oil recovery.
