ST Engineering bags contract to supply equipment, services for UAE's Falaj 3 OPV

ST Engineering's marine division has been awarded a subcontract to supply platform equipment, and design and technical assistance services for UAE Navy's Falaj 3 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) programme.

The subcontract was issued by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), which has been awarded the main AED3.5 billion (USD950 million) contract by the UAE government to build all four vessels in the programme in-country.

The contract covers the basic, detail design and production design of the vessels, said ST Engineering in a media statement on 15 November. ST Engineering will also provide technical assistance during the construction of the first-of-class, the company added.

No details on the contract value were provided by the company.

The Falaj 3 design is based on ST Engineering's Fearless-class design. The vessel will have an overall length of 60 m, a 9.5 m beam, a 3.4 m draft, and a full load displacement of approximately 641 tonnes.

Images previously released by ADSB indicate that the vessel will be armed with a medium-calibre gun, two small-calibre remote weapon stations, two twin surface-to-surface missile launchers, and two multibarrel rocket launchers. However, further details on these are yet to be disclosed.

ADSB is expected to begin work on the first Falaj 3 OPV in 2021, with the final vessel expected in 2026.