Saab taps Poland's Nauta Shiprepair for Swedish vessel construction

April 26 (UPI) -- A special purpose Signal Intelligence ship for the Swedish navy is to be built by Poland's Nauta Shiprepair Yard, based in Gdynia, Poland.

Saab, which signed a contract with the Swedish Defense Material Administration for the vessel earlier this month, said it has contracted the Polish company to build the ship platform. Once finished, it sail to Sweden for the outfitting of signals intelligence systems and sea acceptance trials.

According to Saab, its contract Nauta is a result of a 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between Saab and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, Nauta's parent company.

"I am very pleased how we have turned the initial intentions in the MoU into a tangible business with PGZ," Gunnar Wieslander, head of Saab's Kockums business area, said in a press release.

"Special Purpose Ships of this kind require both high availability and reliability. In Nauta we have found a partner who can contribute in delivering a modern solution to our customer."

The contract originally awarded to Saab was for three years and worth nearly $83 million.