Damen Shipyards Group and the Mexican Navy, via the Directorate General of Shipbuilding, are currently working together to build the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA (from its initials in Spanish)), the most technologically advanced vessel in Latin America.
With this, the Mexican Navy will join the long 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, a proven design that has booked successful results internationally.
POLA will be 107m in length, with a beam of 14m. It will be able to sail at speeds of up to 25+ knots and a capacity of more than 20 days at sea.
A Damen representative said, “This vessel will be capable of carrying out various missions such as 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, with its global experience in the construction of complex vessels, is transferring knowledge to the Mexican shipbuilding industry through this project.
This is a process that Damen undertakes regularly via the Damen Technical Cooperation (DTC). This project, however, takes the DTC concept to the next level. Damen and the Mexican Navy took the decision to build two of the six modular sections of the vessel at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
The remaining four modules will be 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.
