Damen builds first patrol boats in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Two FCS 5009 patrol vessels have been built in South Africa by Damen Shipyards Cape Town, the first constructed in the country.

The vessels, for use in offshore patrol, are each 174.7 feet long and have a maximum speed of 30 knots. Weaponry to be integrated onto the vessels includes a 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm Browning guns.

"This continues our policy of building in Africa for Africa," said Friso Visser, Damen's sales manager for Africa, "and its makes us very proud to see our South African facility maintaining the Damen tradition of building technically advanced vessels to the highest standards.

"The versatile FCS 5009 Patrol boats have consistently shown themselves to be an ideal solution for patrolling an EEZ (exclusive economic zone). They have low operational costs, are very fuel efficient, have a competitive purchase price and, crucially, are easy to maintain."

Damen Shipyards Cape Town is a subsidiary of the Damen Shipbuilding Group of the Netherlands.

The FCS 5009 comes in two variants -- fast crew supply ship and security patrol vessel.

Details on the time taken to construct the vessels and their cost were not provided by the company.

Damen Shipbuilding Cape Town, which recently expanded its production capabilities, is one of 32 facilities of the Damen Shipbuilding Group around the world.