Bangladesh Coast Guard has ordered Turkish-made ARES 150 HERCULES OPVs Offshore Patrol Vessels.

According to information published by the Defseca website on October 15, 2021, Bangladesh could acquire patrol ships from The Turkish Company ARES Shipyard. Citing a Tweet from SeaWaves magazine published on October 16, 2021, the Bangladesh Coast Guard has ordered an ARES 150 HERCULES OPV from Ares Shipyard in Turkey.
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ARES 150 OPV Offshore Patrol Vessel built by the Turkish company ARES Shipyard. (Picture source ARES Shipyard)

The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) is the maritime law enforcement force of Bangladesh. It is a paramilitary force that is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The main missions of the BCG are the Control piracy, illegal trafficking, protect the fishery, oil, gas, forest resources and environmental pollution in Bangladesh waters and coastal areas, ensure overall security and law and order through security assistance to seaports, conduct relief and rescue operation in the coastal areas during natural calamity.

The Bangladesh government has started a massive modernization plan named Coast Guard Goal 2030 to make Coast Guard a well-trained and well-equipped force to ensure the security of the coastal area. The expansion of the force manpower is also included in the plan.

Currently, the BCG is equipped with 4 Offshore patrol vessels, 8 inshore patrol vessels, 4 fast attack craft, 4 coastal patrol craft, 5 river patrol craft, 6 harbor patrol boats, and 136 high-speed patrol boats.

ARES 150 HERCULES OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessel) with its 48 m overall length, 35 knots (65 km/h) maximum speed and 1,600 Nautical Miles (2,963 km) is the fastest OPV in the World and has been awarded the “World’s Best Offshore Patrol Vessel of 2018” by an independent maritime institution.

The ARES 150 OPV is the largest composite vessel ever built in the military patrol craft segment. The craft is equipped with 12.7mm and 30mm remote-operated weapon systems. Besides its armament, electro-optic sensors, and extensive navigation equipment; 2-off ARES 24 HARPOON Fast Interceptor Boats are located on the aft deck of ARES 150 HERCULES OPV for special operations forces, boarding, and SAR (Search and Rescue) missions.