The Brazilian Navy has accepted the first of three Ocean Patrol Vessels from BAE Systems. The warship was handed over at Portsmouth on 29 June and renamed Amazonas (P120). Prior to delivery, 80 Brazilian sailors conducted two days of sea trials to familiarise themselves with the 90m OPV which, although already repainted in Brazilian colours, was still running under her original name of Port of Spain. Transfer of the Glasgow-built pair, Scarborough and San Fernando, will take place later this year and early in 2013, when they will be renamed Apa (P121) and Araguaia (P122), after national rivers.
The ships were originally built for the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard, but the order was cancelled in 2010 following a change of government when the vessels were close to completion. Brazil later acquired them for £133 million, a sum that also includes ancillary support services and a manufacturing licence to enable further vessels of the same class to be constructed in Brazil.
