December 20 (SeeNews) - German shipbuilding group Naval Vessels Luerssen (NVL) said that it has begun construction of the second of two modular multipurpose patrol vessels (MMPV) for the Bulgarian Navy at the shipyard of its Bulgarian partner MTG Dolphin in Varna.
NVL and MTG Dolphin performed the steel cutting, or the first major step in the construction process of a new ship at the MTG Dolphin's shipyard where both ships are being built, the group said in a statement last week.
The vessels, each 90 metres in length and displacement of about 2,300 t, are designed by NVL and include an integrated combat management system. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2025, the second one is due to be delivered a year later.
The two patrol ships will carry out tasks within the framework of international alliance missions for NATO and the EU, and will enable the Bulgarian Navy to counter air and land based threats as well as surface and undersea threats. The ships' construction is being managed by NVL Group and involves a number of Bulgarian suppliers that were not named in the statement.
The MMPV project is currently the largest new building project of the Bulgarian Navy, according to a separate statement by subcontractor MTG Dolphin.
The formal keel laying of the first patrol vessel, whose construction started in December 2021, took place in June 2022.