Sweden has awarded Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Armon Vigo a contract to supply two work vessels for the navy.
The procurement supports Stockholm’s decision to replace the HMS Pelikanen and HMS Furusund for robotic, underwater, diving, and salvage applications.
The ships will enhance the service’s ability to conduct weapons recovery, logistics, and other subsea missions.
Handover of the vessels is scheduled between 2027 and 2028, a statement from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration said.
More Combat Ships, Harbor Tugs
The contract follows the Scandinavian country’s announcement in June 2023, affirming the employment of additional surface combat ships and tugboats under the Swedish Navy.
For this separate project, four combat ships are planned to be introduced as the Luleå class after the northern and southern coasts of the country, leading security across Sweden’s policy area of interest.
Another four harbor tugs will be christened the Hermes class to support logistics operations in the navy’s new naval base battalions.
Expanding Fleets
In May 2023, the government awarded Swede Ship Marine a contract to supply sea-mobile artillery vessels to amphibious units stationed in Stockholm and Gothenburg.
The order comprises eight systems with stabilized hand-held grenade launchers and training platforms. Deliveries will begin in 2027.
The same month, the Swedish Navy accepted HMS Artemis, a new spy ship to replace the service’s HMS Orion intelligence ship, operational since the 1980s.
In 2022, Dutch defense contractor Damen Shipyards laid the keel of the navy’s future Ice-class harbor tugboats in Dubai.
Each vessel under this seven-ship fleet incorporates a 7-meter (56 feet) hull made of specialized steel plate to aid the force in adapting to low-temperature environments.