Dutch Transfer of Two Frigates to Portuguese Navy / Dutch Technical Transfer of Frigates to Portuguese Navy

Dutch Transfer of Two Frigates to Portuguese Navy / Dutch Technical Transfer of Frigates to Portuguese Navy (NSI News Source Info) January 19, 2009: The documents for the transfer of the Dutch frigates to the Portuguese Navy were signed today by the General Directors for Armaments of the Ministry of National Defence of Portugal and of the Netherlands.

On the Portuguese side, the signatory was Vice Admiral Filipe Viergas. This action, an exclusively military procedure, took place in the Netherlands, and was attended by the Portuguese Navy’s Chief of Staff, Admiral Fernando Melo Gomes.

On November 1st 2006, the Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira signed a contract for the purchase of the frigates Van Nes and Van Galen. Van Nes (renamed Bartolomeu Dias ) will be transferred to Portugal on December 1, 2008 and Van Galen (renamed Francisco de Almeida) on November 1, 2009. With the latest sale of two M-class frigates to Portugal pushing through, only two of the eight ships will remain with the Dutch Navy.

The official delivery ceremony, as part of the celebrations for Navy Day, will take place in the presence of the Minister of National Defence, Nuno Severiano Teixeira. The commissioning of the two “Bartolomeu Dias”-class frigates is a major milestone in the reinforcement of the Navy’s fleet.

These ships will replace the “Joao Belo”-class frigates that have been in service for about 40 years. The two new ships are fitted with modern technologies for systems automation, and thus require a smaller crew, but will deliver an increase in productivity and in operational availability. They can reach a top speed of 29 knots, and have a range of 5,000 nautical miles.