Recently, Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime announced a contract with Damen Naval, the naval shipbuilding division of Damen Shipyards Group, to supply dual controllable pitch propellers (CPP) and shafting equipment for a new frigate of the Colombian Navy.
According to an announcement by the Colombian Ministry of Defense in September 2022, the new frigate will be jointly developed by COTECMAR, Colombia’s largest shipbuilder, and Damen Naval. Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2025, with delivery and commissioning planned for late 2029 or early 2030.
The new frigate will be based on Damen’s SIGMA design (“Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach”), which has gained increasing favor among navies worldwide due to its modular platform structure. Currently, the Mexican and Indonesian navies have deployed various SIGMA-class vessels. The SIGMA series features modular platform components that can be customized for specific mission requirements.
This frigate project is part of the Colombian Navy’s “Strategic Surface Platform” (PES) program, initiated in 2015 to replace the in-service Padilla-class frigates and comprehensively enhance Colombia’s naval combat capabilities.
Kongsberg Maritime provides customized propeller and shafting systems for modern naval vessels, featuring remote operation capabilities and significantly reduced underwater radiated noise.
In 2024, Damen Naval selected Kongsberg Maritime to supply CPP systems and related equipment, including shafting, for four anti-submarine warfare frigates. Two of these vessels will be delivered to the Royal Netherlands Navy, while the other two will go to the Belgian Navy. This marks the second collaboration between Kongsberg Maritime and Damen Naval within 18 months, continuing their long-standing close partnership.
