July 3 (SeeNews) - France's Naval Group on Wednesday signed a 1.2 billion euro ($1.35 billion) deal with Romania's Santierul Naval Constanta (SNC) to build four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes and modernise T22 frigates, the French defence ministry said.
Under the deal, Naval Group will also set up a maintenance centre and a training centre at SNC, the French defence ministry said in a press release.
The first corvette will be delivered by 2022, the ministry said.
"Romania becomes the first European country, but also the first NATO country, to acquire this type of warship," the French defence ministry said in the statement.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Naval Group said that the partnership with SNC will ensure Romania’s sovereignty and autonomy, as SNC will receive the necessary know-how to support the complete life cycle of the corvettes, from building to maintenance and modernization.
Located in the Black Sea port city of Constanta, Santierul Naval Constanta is ranked among the largest newbuildings, shiprepairs and conversions yards in Europe,and is the world's first class shipbuilder for medium range products & chemical tankers.
($=0.8857 euro)