Fincantieri has delivered August 4th at its shipyard in Muggiano (La
Spezia) the first two units part of the supply contract of four Offshore
Patrol Vessels (OPV), to the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG), through the
upgrading and conversion of the “Minerva” class corvettes,
decommissioned by the Italian Navy. These are the “Minerva”
and “Sibilla” vessels, renamed “SYED NAZRUL”
and “TAJUDDIN”, which have been retired from the national
fleet in May 2015 and shortly after arrived at Fincantieri’s dock
in Genova, where the upgrading and conversion activities started. The
units have been completed at the naval shipyard in La Spezia. |
Attending
the ceremony, among others, MD Mozammel Haque Khan, Senior Secretary
of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh,
Rear Adm. AMMM Aurangzeb Chowdhury, Commander in Chief of the Bangladesh
Coast Guard, while Fincantieri was represented by Alberto Maestrini,
Deputy General Manager and Senior Vice President Naval Vessels. Present
for the Italian Navy, the Logistics Commander, Vice Admiral Donato Marzano
and the MARINA NORD Commander, Rear Admiral Roberto Camerini.
In keeping with the Bangladeshi tradition, the signing of the ships’
delivery was preceded by the reading of a passage of the Koran.
Together with "Urania" and "Danaide", scheduled
for delivery next year after the same upgrading and conversion activities,
these vessels will form the backbone of the Bangladesh Coast Guard’s
fleet, with an extension of the lifespan by more than twenty years.
The units will be used to patrol the country's maritime boundaries and
traffic in its Exclusive Economic Zone, with capabilities to contain
environmental pollution and to rescue and assist civilians in the case
of humanitarian emergencies. This contract confirms, therefore, the
ability of Fincantieri – the only one among the suppliers of naval
vessels – to offer tailor-made solutions for every Navy and Coast
Guard, according to individual needs and characteristics, by developing
new projects or, alternatively, thanks to the precious support of the
Italian Navy, by performing in-depth and strict refitting process on
second-hand units.
Within the development of Fincantieri business in the Far East, this
agreement is moreover particularly relevant for the supply of after-sales
services for naval vessels, because it allows to provide a full range
of services for both the platform and the combat system: from industrial
Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Conversions to those related to the
Life Cycle Management of the vessels, both through the supply of Integrated
Logistic Support services, usually developed during construction or
conversion, and of In Service Support activities, performed after the
delivery, during the operation of the vessels.
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