Tunisian Navy take delivery of Hannon (P 612), third MSOPV 1400 series vessel

The Tunisian Navy has just taken delivery of the third unit of the new Multi Service Offshore Patrol Vessel 1400 (MSOPV 1400) OPV.

The MSOPV 1400 are a new class of OPVs built by Damen shipbuilding.

The new vessel named Hannon (P 612) set sail from Galati in Romania on 11 August, and arrived in Tunisia one week later on 17 August.

Tunisian Navy Damen MSOPV 1400 Offshore Patrol Boat Syphax (611)
SeaAxe hullform

According to data gathered from images of the ship taken during its transit through the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey on 12 August, it shows that Hannon (P612) has a different configuration to the first two ships of the class, Jugurtha (P 610) and Syphax (P 611).

The MSOPV 1400 series OPVs were designed with a SeaAxe hullform and it is understood that Damen is building these ships in pairs. Steel-cutting for the first two– Jugurtha and Syphax – started on 13 December 2016.

Unlike its sister ships, Hannon (P 612) MSOPV 1400 lacks a helicopter deck above the multi-mission bay. Instead, a large folding crane is installed as well as two box-like structures, while retaining the folding stern slipway for an interceptor boat.Tunisian Navy Damen MSOPV 1400 Offshore Patrol Boat Syphax

Darek Liam

Been covering defense and national security issues for more than a decade. Sometimes you see me in the Sahara desert horse riding.

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