Damen Shipyards Group has marked a moment with the joint steel cutting and keel laying ceremony for the NRP Dom João II, classified as a Multi-Purpose Ship, and designed for the Portuguese Navy.
Damen Shipyards Group recently held a ceremony at its facility in Galati, Romania, unveiling two milestones in constructing the NRP Dom João II. The event was attended by dignitaries, including the Portuguese Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, and Admiral Gouveia e Melo, Chief of the Portuguese Naval Staff, who participated in the ceremonial steel cutting and keel laying.
The contract for this vessel was signed in November 2023, following a tender process, and is funded through the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) as part of the NextGenerationEU initiative aimed at bolstering the economies of EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Admiral Gouveia e Melo highlighted the concept behind the NRP Dom João II, noting its multi-domain capabilities across air, surface, and subsurface operations. “It can carry out numerous and varied missions, such as scientific research and experimentation related to drones and robotics, as well as support in emergency and disaster situations,” he stated.
The NRP Dom João II will serve as an asset in Damen’s Support Ship range, which encompasses vessels weighing 7,000 to 9,000 tons. This approach will enable the Portuguese Navy to operate the vessel across missions such as environmental monitoring, emergency response, and maritime safety.
Damen Shipyards Group is actively engaged in several naval projects. In collaboration with Alewijnse, Damen Naval is developing anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Netherlands and Belgium.
Concurrently, Damen has commenced construction on the F126 frigates, which will become the largest vessels in the German Navy. Furthermore, Damen has partnered with Saab to promote the Expeditionary C-71 submarines, targeting potential exports to Canada.
Features for operational capability
The Multi-Purpose Ship is designed to facilitate various operations, reflecting the increasing role of autonomous technologies in maritime defence. Equipped to deploy uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs), uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), the ship features a 94 x 11-metre flight deck to support these missions.
Additionally, the 107-metre vessel includes 650 square metres of deck space, capable of transporting up to twelve TEUs, which can house mission-specific modular systems such as hospitals and hyperbaric chambers. These features are important for accommodating scientific research and operational needs.
Minister Melo emphasised the importance of the ship in safeguarding Portugal’s extensive maritime jurisdiction, which represents a significant portion of the Exclusive Economic Zones of the European Union. “Safeguarding this domain is essential, particularly as we face growing strategic competition in the North Atlantic,” he said.
A collaborative effort in European defence
Damen’s chief commercial Oofficer, Jan-Wim Dekker, expressed pride in the partnership with the Portuguese Navy, stating: “The cutting of steel and keel laying at Damen Shipyards Galati represent major steps forward in the construction of this Multi-Purpose Ship that will enable the Portuguese Navy to undertake the most demanding missions and at the same time the ability to perform research activities in the deepest areas of the ocean.”
Scheduled for delivery in 2026, the NRP Dom João II will join two other Damen-built vessels. The Portuguese Navy also has two M-class frigates in its fleet, acquiring the ship from Damen between 2009 and 2010, as highlighted by GlobalData’s “Portugal Defense Market 2024-2029” report.
