Cyprus signs agreement to acquire second OPV from Israel Shipyards

A model of the second offshore patrol vessel built by Israel Shipyards for the Cyprus Navy, displayed during the acquisition agreement signing ceremony in Cyrpus on 26 October 2026. (Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus)

Israel's Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the MoD of the Republic of Cyprus signed an agreement on 26 October 2026 for a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) from Israel Shipyards, both governments announced the same day.

The Israeli MoD's International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) and the Cypriot MoD's Armaments and Defence Capabilities Development Directorate led the agreement.

Israel Shipyards will build the new OPV, which will be fitted with Rafael naval systems. Equipment aboard Cyprus's existing Israel Shipyards-built OPV Commodore Andreas Ioannides (P61) will also be upgraded. The two vessels are intended to support expanded patrol, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions. The announcement did not identify the Rafael systems planned for the new vessel or specify which systems aboard Ioannides will be upgraded.

Ioannides is based on the combat-proven Sa'ar 4.5 design used by the Israeli Navy. The vessel was launched in Haifa, according to a Facebook post from the Cypriot Embassy in Israel on 12 September 2017 and commissioned at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari on 15 January 2018. The original contract, signed in December 2015, included an option for a second vessel.

At 62 m, Ioannides is based on Israel Shipyards' longer OPV variant. It displaces 430 tonnes, has a top speed of 32 kt, and a range of 3,200 n miles at 18 kt. Israel Shipyards describes its 62 m OPV as based on the Sa'ar 4.5 design and lists a range of 3,200 n miles at 18 kt.

Neither government has confirmed the second OPV's specifications. Janes