The agreement was signed by Deputy Minister Yuriy Vaskov from the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure and Danish Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen during her visit to Kiev, on 18 December 2021.
The Danish Defense Minister said:
“An important purpose of my visit to Kiev is to show Danish support for Ukraine in the current situation. Support can be done with words, but action naturally weighs heavier than words. In the government’s strategy for the Danish defense industry, we emphasize that the Danish defense industry is important for Danish security and for the community with our allies and partners. ”
According to a Danish MoD statement, the sharing of “ship design and technology” is intended for the Ukrainian Coast Guard (State Border Guard Service) as well as search and rescue service. The vessels would be built in Ukraine on the basis of Danish design and technology. The partnership will specifically support the reconstruction of the Ukrainian shipbuilding industry and thus the building of Ukraine’s maritime capacity.
No specific details were disclosed regarding the ship class (or type) or the technology that would be transferred. The Royal Danish Navy (Søværnet) is operating the well known Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessels. They were locally designed and built. But these 2,000 tons OPVs may be too large for the Ukrainian Coast Guard. A smaller type of in-service Danish designed patrol vessel is the 300 tons Diana-class patrol vessel. Alternatively, the Danish Naval Home Guard (Marinehjemmeværnet) is using the MHV 900-class patrol boats. Displacing 87 tonnes, they were designed in the early 2000s. Or the design could be brand new. At DSEI 2021, Danish naval shipdesign company OMT (Odense Marine Technology) unveiled the MPV80, a new patrol vessel design which we covered in this video (the illustration at the top of this article show the MPV80 ship design in OPV configuration).
As for the “technology” part, Denmark is famous for its StanFlex modular mission payload system. Local company SH Defence has taken the concept a step further and has launched “The Cube” concept in 2020. The “technology” could also come form TERMA which is a famous Danish defense company specializing in various naval systems such as radars, combat systems and decoy launchers.
Improving Ukraine’s naval capabilities
Faced with a persistent threat from Russia, Ukraine is significantly expanding both its Navy and Coast Guard fleets.
For its Navy, Ukraine has ordered corvettes and UAVs from Turkey, up to 16 Mark VI patrol boats from the United States and fast attack craft from the United Kingdom. It is also taking delivery of former U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boats.
For the State Border Guards, Ukraine is receiving 20 patrol boats from France (including 5 built in a Ukrainian shipyard).
