Damen Shipyards Group and the Mexican Navy are currently working together to build the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA, from its initials in Spanish). Two of the six modules will be built in the Netherlands, the other four in Mexico.
With this, the Mexican Navy will join the list of navies around the world that have Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding vessels in their fleets. POLA will be the Mexican version of the Damen SIGMA 10514. POLA will be 107 m long, with a beam of 14 m. It can reach speeds of up to 25+ knots and can stay at sea for more than 20 days at a time.
Various Missions
This vessel can carry out various missions, including safeguarding Mexican sovereignty, international security cooperation, long range search and rescue operations and humanitarian aid. POLA will allow the Mexican state to increase its surveillance coverage and the protection of Mexican maritime interests beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Damen Technical Cooperation
Damen is transferring knowledge to the Mexican shipbuilding industry through this project, a process the company undertakes regularly via its Damen Technical Cooperation.
Two of the six modular sections of the vessel are built at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. The remaining four are built locally in Mexico. The construction of these modules, along with the integration, will be carried out at a yard that cooperates on this with Damen.
As part of the Technical Cooperation, a Mexican team will be based in the Netherlands during the construction of the modules to supervise the process and to receive knowledge transfer. At the same time, Damen hopes to benefit from the region-specific expertise from the Mexican delegation.
Modular Construction
The first of the Dutch modules has already arrived in Mexico, where it is being integrated by Mexican personnel with two of those already built in Salina Cruz. Just fifteen months following the inking of the contract, the hull is already complete in drydock. It will now be prepared to receive the other three superstructure modules.
The flagging ceremony of the POLA is planned for November 2018. After this, commissioning, training, tests and trials will continue in 2019.
