Denmark has signed a contract with Karstensens Skibsvaerft for a third Knud Rasmussen-class arctic patrol ship, it was announced on 18 December.
Worth DKK355 million (USD64.9 million), the contract will see the vessel completed in 2017. In Royal Danish Navy service the vessel will provide sovereignty enforcement, patrol, and fisheries duties in the waters around Greenland, the defence of which remains a Danish responsibility.
The Royal Danish Navy currently operates two Knud Rasmussen-class vessels, with the country's cross-party 'Agreement on Defence', announced in November 2012 and covering the period 2013-17, setting out plans to bring forward the retirement of the navy's last Agdlek-class oceangoing patrol cutter, HDMS Tulugaq , to 2014 and to replace it with a third Knud Rasmussen vessel. The total cost of completing the third ship is valued by the Danish Ministry of Defence at over DKK500 million.
The new vessel will be slightly different to its sister ships, providing improved support for marine environmental research missions. Innovations include a modular crane and boom system, a larger tender, hydrographic multi-beam survey sonar, and space for research stations. As with the other vessels of the class, it will be just less than 72 m long and will displace 1,720 tonnes. Armed with a 76 mm main gun, the ships can deploy ice-capable CB-90 high-speed combat craft from the stern, have a flight deck which can embark a helicopter in a lily pad manner, and have space on board to embark containers.
The vessel will be built at Karstensens Skibsvaerft's dry dock in Skagen.