The Portuguese Navy has contracted Damen Shipyards Group for the design, construction and outfitting of a state-of-the-art Multi-Purpose Vessel. The contract was signed by Director of Ships Rear Admiral Jorge Pires and Damen Shipyards Group CCO Jan Wim Dekker. The project follows a European tender process and is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic). It will be called “D. João II” – a multipurpose and innovative ship capable of carrying out emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and oceanographic research, environmental and meteorological monitoring. Damen has developed this 107-metre long Multi-Purpose Vessel based on the specific requirements of the Portuguese Navy. The resulting design is truly a multi-purpose platform, with primary mission roles including oceanic research, search and rescue, and emergency relief in addition to maritime safety and naval support operations. To this end, the vessel will be capable of deploying unmanned drones and helicopters.
“We are proud to have been selected to build this spectacular vessel for the Portuguese Navy. We are convinced that this vessel will represent a major milestone in the naval sector. It is the first of its kind, with the highest capabilities to create awareness, deploy and manage all types of drones. This vessel’s multi-purpose functionality will enable the Portuguese Navy to develop the most demanding missions and at the same time the ability to perform research activities in the deepest areas of the ocean. It also underlines Damen’s firm relationship with the Portuguese Navy and shows a further example of European defence industry cooperation,” Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen said after the contract signing ceremony.
For the oceanic research and monitoring scope of operations, the vessel will be equipped with laboratories and accommodation for scientific staff. For the naval support aspect, the Damen-built vessel will have numerous design features to enable such operations. This will comprise a stern ramp for UUVs and USVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Unmanned Surface Vehicles) as well as a 94×11-metre flight deck and hangars for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The new vessel will be classified by the Portuguese Navy as a Multifunctional Naval Platform (PNM). To fully match this vessel designation, Damen has collaborated closely with the Portuguese Navy to incorporate future-versatility into the design. This consists of a 650m2 cargo deck and space for twelve 20-foot containers. Modular systems such as containerised hospital facilities, hyperbaric chambers, or ROV equipment can therefore be installed as required.
The contract signing ceremony for the construction of the Multifunctional Naval Platform will take place this Friday morning (24 November), at the Museu de Marinha, in Lisbon, with the presence of the Prime Minister, António Costa, and the Minister of Defense, Helena Carreiras. The sea is one of the components of the PRR investment, with the objective of facing a series of challenges, including mapping and evaluating mineral resources and all other non-renewable resources in the marine soil and subsoil under Portuguese jurisdiction, mitigating harmful human actions in the ocean and produce knowledge through the fusion of information, developing prediction models with different temporal and spatial scales. Financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) at 94.5 million euros, in addition to 37.5 million in State investment, the ship of the Portuguese Republic (NRP) D. João II should be entering service in the second half of 2026.
