Colombia inks deal that could see Damen build five Sigma frigates

SANTIAGO, Chile — Colombia is launching a $2 billion shipbuilding program that would see its Navy acquire five frigates.

The announcement, made last week, was followed by the signing on Tuesday of an initial contract between local shipbuilder Cotecmar and Dutch company Damen to adapt the latter’s Sigma 10514 design to meet the Colombian Navy’s requirements.

A definitive contract “will most probably be signed during 2023, with actual building to start late that year, as several technical and industrial aspects, and even some systems including sensors and weapons, are still not decided and agreed,” a Colombian military source told Defense News on the condition of anonymity to avoid workplace retaliation.

The vessels are to undergo construction at Cartagena on the Caribbean coast in Cotecmar’s facilities. The company will serve as the main contractor for the program, using a stretched version of the Sigma 10514 design as well as technical support from Damen.

The move signals a change in military procurement policy for the government of President Gustavo Petro , a former guerrilla and left-leaning politician who came into office in August. While campaigning, Petro had pledged that military expenditure would not be a priority under his administration.

But since entering office, he has taken a new approach, which some credit to the influence of his defense minister, Ivan Velasquez.

The frigate program offers benefits for national and industrial development, as it’s expected to create jobs and provide to Colombia shipbuilding technology and know-how.

Development plans for the Navy’s fleet were unveiled in 2015, and the government’s recent decision is expected to lead to the frigates’ deployment in the 2030s. About seven years ago, the Navy had stated its intentions to acquire up to eight new oceanic surface combatants of a type known in official documents as Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie, or PES (Strategic Surface Platform in English).

The documents described PES as “a multipurpose frigate displacing between 3,000 and 5,000 tons, armed with weapons and sensors for surface, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare; carrying up to two maritime helicopters and capable of long deployments at sea far from bases.”

The plan envisioned locally built ships using a design and technical assistance from an experienced foreign shipbuilder. The PES vessels were to initially supplement and then replace the four 2,300-ton Padilla-class frigates currently in service in Colombia and built in Germany in the early 1980s. They received modernization upgrades over the past decade.

Political and fiscal conditions delayed the PES plans after 2015. Ambitions to acquire a platform bigger than 3,000 tons were dropped to avoid heavy investment on new facilities at the Cotecmar shipyard in Cartagena. The number of hulls expected to be acquired also dropped to five. However, the military source expects “the number of PES can increase in the future, if political and fiscal conditions allow.”

The size restraint brought with it a reduction in hangar and flight deck space, meaning a ship could only carry a single 10-ton maritime helicopter. But requirements remained for anti-surface vessel, anti-submarine warfare and air defense capabilities.

With a displacement between 2,800 tons and 2,900 tons, and a length close to 120 meters, the Colombian frigates will be the biggest version of Damen’s Sigma 10514 design. Smaller versions are already in service with the navies of Indonesia and Mexico. The price for each fully fitted frigate is expected to be about $400 million.

José Higuera is a Latin America correspondent for Defense News.

智利圣地亚哥——哥伦比亚启动了一项价值 20 亿美元的造船计划，该计划将使哥伦比亚海军获得五艘护卫舰。

上周宣布的消息之后，周二，当地造船商 Cotecmar 与荷兰达门公司签署了一份初步合同，对后者设计的 Sigma 10514 型舰艇进行改造，以满足哥伦比亚海军的要求。

一位哥伦比亚军方消息人士匿名告诉《防务新闻》，最终合同“很可能在 2023 年签署，实际建造工作将于当年晚些时候开始，因为一些技术和工业方面的问题，甚至包括传感器和武器在内的一些系统，仍未确定和达成一致”，以避免遭到工作场所的报复。

这些舰艇将在加勒比海沿岸卡塔赫纳的Cotecmar船厂建造。该公司将作为该项目的主承包商，采用Sigma 10514设计的加长版本，并由Damen提供技术支持。

此举标志着古斯塔沃·佩特罗总统领导的政府在军事采购政策上发生了转变。佩特罗曾是一名游击队员，也是一位左翼政治家，于今年8月上任。在竞选期间，佩特罗曾承诺，军费开支不会成为他执政的优先事项。

但自从上任以来，他采取了一种新的方法，一些人认为这要归功于他的国防部长伊万·贝拉斯克斯的影响。

护卫舰项目对国家和工业发展大有裨益，因为它有望创造就业机会，并为哥伦比亚提供造船技术和专业知识。

海军舰队发展计划于2015年公布，政府最近的决定预计将促成护卫舰在2030年代的部署。大约七年前，海军曾表示有意采购至多八艘新型远洋水面作战舰艇，这种舰艇在官方文件中被称为Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie，或简称PES（Strategic Surface Platform）。

文件将 PES 描述为“排水量在 3,000 至 5,000 吨之间的多用途护卫舰，配备用于水面作战、反潜作战和防空作战的武器和传感器；最多可搭载两架海上直升机，并能够在远离基地的海上进行长期部署。”

该计划设想在经验丰富的外国造船厂的设计和技术支持下，建造本地舰艇。这些PES舰艇最初将作为补充舰艇，随后逐步取代目前在哥伦比亚服役的四艘2300吨级帕迪利亚级护卫舰。这些护卫舰于20世纪80年代初在德国建造，并在过去十年中进行了现代化升级改造。

2015年后，政治和财政状况导致PES计划延期。为了避免在卡塔赫纳的Cotecmar造船厂新建设施上投入巨资，原计划建造3000吨级以上的平台的雄心被放弃。预计建造的船体数量也减少到5艘。然而，军方消息人士预计，“如果政治和财政状况允许，PES的数量未来可能会增加。”

尺寸限制导致机库和飞行甲板空间减少，这意味着一艘舰艇只能搭载一架10吨级的海上直升机。但反水面舰艇、反潜作战和防空能力的需求依然存在。

哥伦比亚的护卫舰排水量在2800吨至2900吨之间，舰长接近120米，将是达门造船厂Sigma 10514型护卫舰中最大的型号。较小的版本已在印度尼西亚和墨西哥海军服役。每艘满配护卫舰的造价预计约为4亿美元。

何塞·伊格拉是《防务新闻》拉丁美洲记者。