Italy’s Fincantieri delivers two patrol vessels to Bangladesh Coast Guard

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has handed over two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) during a ceremony at its shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia).

The OPVs are the last of four Minerva-class corvettes, Minerva, Sibilla, Urania and Danaide, which were decommissioned by the Italian Navy.

The navy remised the vessels through a reselling contract executed by the Central Unit for Naval Armament and Fincantieri.

Renamed as Syed Nazrul, Tajuddin, Karamuzzaman and Mansoor Ali, these corvettes were upgraded and converted for the BCG under a contract awarded to Fincantieri in July 2015. The contract also included the provision of related logistics support services.

The upgrading and conversion activities carried out on the ships, which form the backbone of the BCG’s fleet, have extended their lifespan by more than 20 years.

The first two vessels were delivered to BCG in August 2016.

The BCG will deploy the OPVs to patrol the country's maritime boundaries and traffic in its Exclusive Economic Zone.

They are also equipped with capabilities to contain environmental pollution and to rescue and assist civilian populations in the case of humanitarian emergencies.