Israel Shipyards began the construction of first two OPV-45 Offshore Patrol Vessels for Côte d'Ivoire.

According to information published on Linkedin, Israel Shipyards has begun the construction of the first two OPV-45 Offshore Patrol Vessels for an African Navy. The OPV-45 would have been ordered by the Côte d'Ivoire, citing news published by the African Intelligence website in July 2020.
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Israel Shipyards has begun the construction of the first two OPV-45 Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Côte d'Ivoire Navy. (Picture source Israel shipyards)

In July 2020, Israel Shipyards has announced the signature of an agreement for the deliver y of twop OPV-45 Offshore Patrol Vessels, but did not announce the customer. This agreement includes ongoing support and training as well as the creation of a maintenance program within the framework of the company’s Integration Logistic Support (ILS) services.

The OPV-45 was launched by the Israel Shipyards in May 2019 during IMDEX, the International Maritime Defence exhibition that was held in Singapore.

The OPV-45 is designed for a wide range of naval, para-military and HLS (Maritime HomeLand Security) missions. It enables open sea patrol and surveillance and supports a wide variety of offshore missions such as the protection of facilities and EEZs, anti-terror/smuggling/illegal activity interdiction, intervention force boarding/landing, close-range naval combat operations, and enhanced search and rescue missions. The OPV 45 can also be equipped for minimizing illegal immigration transits, fishing protection and control, and anti-pollution activities.

Installed with advanced weapon stations, electro-optics, radar and communication systems suitable for various missions, the OPV-45 has an overall length of 45.7m, a sustained speed of above 24 knots, and a command bridge enabling 360° observation. For missions requiring high-speed interception, the OPV-45 can carry a Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) of 7.20m.

In November 2020, Navy Recognition has published news to announce that MAN Energy Solutions will provide the propulsion for the two OPV-45 which are currently under construction at Israel Shipyards in Haifa. The contract includes two MAN 16V175D-MM engines (2,960kW at 1900 rpm) and gearboxes, as well as ALPHA FPP propellers with struts and Alphatronic 3000 propulsion control systems. The ship will reach a top speed of 24 knots and an endurance of 3,000 nm at 12 knots. She has a crew of 16-21 sailors and can accommodate of up to 24 military personnel.

The OPV-45 can be fitted with remotely operated naval weapon stations armed with one 23 or 30mm automatic cannon or 50mm caliber cannon as well as non-lethal weapons.