Portugal elects three FREMM EVO frigates for EUR 3.9 billion

Portugal has signed an agreement with Italy to purchase three FREMM EVO frigates worth nearly EUR 3.9 billion. Ships are to be delivered from 2029 to 2030, which means the speedy renewal of the Portuguese fleet.

Agreement opens the way to contract

The document was signed in Rome on 20 July at a meeting of representatives of the Portuguese and Italian governments. This is an intergovernmental agreement to open the way for the conclusion of the relevant production contract.

Programme management and procurement are to be responsible for OCCAR. On the industrial side, the Italian companies Fincantieri and Leonardo will play the leading role.

The agreement includes not only the supply of three frigates. Portuguese Polish Navy also informs about securing the operation of ships, technology transfer and cooperation with national industry. At the same time, Lisbon expects a greater share of Portuguese businesses and the development of repair facilities.

Three frigates for € 3.9 billion

The value of the programme was set at around EUR 3.9 billion. The purchase is to be financed under the Union programSAFEPortugal intends to allocate a total of EUR 5.8 billion to the modernisation of the armed forces.

The supply of all three frigates is scheduled for the years 2029-2030. Such a short deadline is essential for Portugal, which must start the replacement of ships originating in the early 1990s.

Portugal will be the first foreign recipient of FREMM EVO frigate. Italy had previously ordered two ships of this type for Marina Militare. Their transfer is scheduled for June 2029 and June 2030 respectively.

frigate construction schedule unclear

It is not yet known how Fincantieri will reconcile supplies for Portugal with order delivery for its native fleet. Schedule communications are not coherent on this issue.

One information indicates that Portugal may take over the frigates previously ordered by Italy. Others suggest that the shipyard will first build two ships for Marina MilitareAnd then three units for Lisbon. This would mean that Portugal will not receive the hulls currently in production.

Until a production contract is signed and a detailed timetable is presented, it cannot be determined that the programme will be implemented.

Portugal must exchange frigates from the 1990s.

Portuguese Polish Navy It currently has five frigates: three Vasco da Gama type and two Bartolomeu Dias type. The first entered service in the early 1990s, while the Bartolomeu Dias ships were built in the same period for the Netherlands and later went to Portugal.

Despite their modernisation, their further exploitation will be more difficult and costly. Three frigates FREMM EVO they are intended to be the basis of Portuguese water forces and to enable them to remain involved in NATO operations and to protect the vast maritime areas of interest in Lisbon.

For Portugal, it will now be crucial not to simply sign the agreement, but to maintain an ambitious timetable and to prepare the technical and crew facilities. Without this, even modern frigates will not allow the smooth replacement of ships serving for more than three decades.