Bangladesh gets first two OPVs
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has received the first two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) under a supply contract with Fincantieri for four OPVs, the company announced on 4 August.
The OPVs are upgraded and converted decommissioned Minerva-class corvettes of the Italian Navy. The first two vessels have been renamed as CGS Syed Nazrul (ex Minerva) and Tajuddin (ex Sibilla).
Minerva and Sibilla were retired from the Italian national fleet in May 2015, and were upgraded and converted at the Fincantieri dock in Genoa, Italy, and completed at the naval shipyard in La Spezia.
The next two ships, Urania and Danaide, will be delivered in 2017 after upgrade and conversion. The works will expand the lifespan of these vessels by over 20 years.
BCG will use the vessels to patrol its maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zone traffic and perform environmental pollution containment and civilian assistance missions during humanitarian emergencies.
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