In a May 12 press release, the Romanian MoD stated that Damen’s proposal did not meet the programme’s technical requirements, responding to recent media comparisons with the SAFE acquisition of two MMPV 90 from Rheinmetall. Naval News also outlines the procurement timeline for the Romanian Naval Forces, which shifted from the GOWIND design to OPV 2600, then the Hisar-class OPV, and finally the MMPV 90.
Romanian MoD press release translated from Romanian to English by Naval News
Regarding recent press articles on the subject of the acquisition of military vessels through the SAFE program, versus the Damen Galați offer, the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) makes the following clarifications:
The Damen offer refers to a comparison with products other than those included in SAFE, making the comparison irrelevant. Damen is considering a ship design project, the MOPV 2600, which is not optimized to fully meet the combat missions specified in the operational requirements approved for the SAFE project, especially regarding anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
Also, the articles compare the prices communicated by Damen for the four ships with the estimated value approved for the SAFE projects (the Offshore Patrol Vessel and the Diver Intervention Craft), without taking into account the different level of equipment proposed for each offshore patrol vessel model, in relation to the technical specifications approved by the Navy for SAFE.
In this regard, it is relevant that the Damen 2025 offer did not include the following systems, a fact reflected in the price presented by the company:
- Fire control (radar) system
- CBRN detection equipment
- Hull-mounted sonar (HMS)
- Combat Management System (CMS) in full configuration
- Close-In Weapon System (CIWS)
- Countermeasure systems (thermal, radar domains) and anti-torpedo systems
- RAM point-defense weapon system
- Torpedo launching system
All these systems are included in the configuration defined by the technical procurement specification approved for the SAFE project, and their cost is included in the value approved by the Parliament, but not in those submitted by Damen.
Additionally, the Damen offer was also comparatively analyzed in 2025 during the decision-making process regarding the acquisition of the Hisar-class light corvette, and in that context the decision was justified.
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The Timeline of Romania’s Corvette and OPV Saga
Romania previously launched a corvette procurement programme involving Dutch shipbuilder Damen and France’s Naval Group. In 2019, Romanian authorities announced the selection of Naval Group and its local partner, Șantierul Naval Constanța (SNC), to build four new corvettes for the Romanian Naval Forces (Forțele Navale Române).
The programme also included the modernization of the Navy’s two Type 22 Batch 2 frigates, as well as the establishment of a maintenance and training centre. However, despite a letter of intent signed three years earlier, the contract never entered into force.
According to News.ro, on September 9, 2025, following more than two years of discussions with the Romanian Navy and the completion of a technical assessment exceeding 300 pages, Damen Galați submitted an offer for the construction of two new offshore patrol vessels configured in a light corvette role.
News.ro notes also that Romanian political and defence officials had expressed strong interest in the Damen’s 98-meter offshore patrol vessel OPV 2600 design, which was at the time under construction for the Pakistan Navy. Damen proposed a price of €115 million per vessel for the naval platform itself, while an additional €85 million covered combat systems and equipment supplied by Thales, including the TACTICOS CMS, sensors, and weapon systems.
Under the proposal, the first ship could have been delivered within 36 months, followed by the second after 42 months. Damen also offered two diver support and intervention vessels at a combined cost of €57 million. Altogether, the acquisition of the two patrol ships and two diver support vessels was estimated at €457 million. The proposed OPVs closely resembled the vessels Damen had previously constructed for the Pakistan Navy (4 units).
Romania ultimately decided against the Damen proposal and instead opted to acquire the first Hisar-class OPV originally intended for the Turkish Navy. In December 2025, Turkish defense contractor ASFAT announced the signing of a contract with Romania’s Ministry of National Defence for the sale of TCG Akhisar (P-1220), the lead ship of the Turkish Navy’s Hisar-class OPVs.
At the beginning of 2026, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence announced that two heavily armed offshore patrol vessels would be procured under the SAFE programme.
Romania Moves Ahead with the SAFE Program
On January 26, 2026, the Romanian government published a list of defence programmes planned under the SAFE initiative. The procurement of two maritime patrol ships was allocated a budget of €700 million, while the diver intervention vessels were assigned €57 million.
However, in an updated list published on April 28, 2026, the allocated budget increased significantly. Funding for the patrol ships rose to €836 million, while the diver support vessels were assigned €84 million. The overall increase from €757 million to €920 million was reportedly linked to planned investments in the Damen Mangalia shipyard, which has since declared bankruptcy.
Minister Miruță stated to DefenseRomania that the cost will be integrated into the SAFE-funded construction of the four vessels.
According to HotNews, which cites industry sources, the model of OPVs that would be purchased and produced by SAFE in Romania is similar to the one produced for Bulgaria, in Varna, at the MTG Dolphin shipyard. The patrol vessel is based on the 90-meter MMPV 90 (Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessel) model made by NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen, part of the Rheinmetall group since March 2026). Bulgaria’s ships were constructed under a €420 million contract (excluding weapons and ammunition), with the total project cost estimated at around €500 million.
While detailed specifications of the Romanian configuration have not been officially disclosed, Miruță indicated that the ships will differ significantly from the Bulgarian variant, incorporating more advanced electronic systems and weaponry, factors that explain the higher program cost.
Asked why he did not take into account the Damen Galati offer, which was almost half price, namely 457 million euros, the minister said at the request of News.ro:
They offered something else. Check the technical specifications in the operational criteria!
Radu-Dinel Miruță, Romanian MoD
Naval News Comment
Romanian Ministry of Defence leadership made it clear that Damen’s proposal did not meet the operational requirements and technical criteria established for the programme which however shifted from armed OPV to Light Corvette requirements with extended electronic equipment and armament.
The final statement in the Ministry’s press release also indicates that Damen’s offer was considered less suitable when compared to the Turkish Hisar-class OPV, which was ultimately selected as the more appropriate solution for the Romanian Naval Forces’ OPV needs. It remains unclear why Romania did not pursue additional acquisitions of Hisar-class OPVs, which can be configured with corvette-level armament and are broadly comparable in size to both Damen’s OPV 2600 design and the MMPV 90 platform.
