Feature 5 | OFFSHORE PATROL VESSELS Israeli OPVs for Equatorial Guinea
In February 2011, Israel Shipyard Ltd (ISL) in Haifa delivered two 62m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), Kie-Ntem and Litoral, to the navy of Equatorial Guinea. Since their arrival at their homeport of Malabo, the vessels have been undertaking prolonged patrols in support of maritime security operations in the oil-rich but strife-torn Gulf of Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea is an oil-rich country and will use the OPVs to patrol offshore oil fields.
of one 50m lightly armed Ukrainian built OPV, Estuario del Muni, and two ISL-built 24.4m, 58tonne Shaldag fast attack craſt fitted with 23mm guns. Based on the proven SAAR 4 and SAAR
A
4.5 missile corvette hullform, the OPVs are a modified version of the Hellenic (Greek) Coast Guard OPV built in 2003-2004. Visually, the most noticeable differences from the Greek OPVs are a modified bulwarks and a 7m x 7.7m platform for a 5tonne helicopter such as the Enstrom 480B, a type which serves with the Equatorial Guinea military. The OPVs, which have a full-load
displacement of 470tonnes, have an overall length of 61.70m, a beam of 7.62m and fully loaded mean draft of 2.77m. Tey are powered by four MTU 16V diesels which drive four screws. To minimize the vessel’s infrared signatures,
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n oil-rich country, Equatorial Guinea is recapitalising its naval forces, which consist primarily
diesel exhaust gases are vented near the waterline. Teir maximum sprint speed is 32knots with a maximum continuous speed of 28knots. Teir cruising speed ranges from 12knots to 20knots. Range is around 3200nm at 18knots while endurance is over two weeks.
“ISL says that short- range missiles are an optional fit on this type of OPV”
Te vessels have a complement of 26-35
and accommodation for 20-24-strong Special Forces team. Tey are fitted with an integrated bridge system as well as commercial Furuno radars. Besides the enclosed bridge, two flying bridges are also standard on the Litoral andKie-Ntem.
Two large, davit-launched RHIBs are mounted amidships for a variety of tasks. The OPVs are armed with a Rafael
Typhoon stabilized gun mount with a 23-mm ZSU gun on the forecastle as well as two mini-Typhoon heavy machinegun mounts located amidships. Apart from local control, the guns are also controlled by a mast-mounted Toplite electro-optical director. Although they are not on the Equatorial Guinea vessels, ISL says that short-range missiles are an optional fit on this type of OPV. It is not clear what type of electronic warfare equipment is fitted although a passive electronic support measures (ESM) system can be fitted. ISL also offers a slightly smaller 58m,
400tonne version of the design that lacks the helicopter platform and has less range – 2200nm at 18knots and an endurance of 10-12 days. Built to Lloyd’s Register standards, ISL says that these OPVs are very cost-effective platforms.WT
Warship Technology July/August 2011
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