Damen and Bolívar-based shipbuilder COTECMAR have signed a contract to provide components and technical support for the construction of the Colombian Navy’s Sigma-class multi-mission frigates.
The deal is part of Bogotá’s program to employ up to five new warships for its Strategic Surface Platforms or PES naval modernization program.
The consortium signed the initial agreement in 2022 to build the future fleet’s lead vessel at COTECMAR’s facility in Colombia.
Once completed, the nation will be the third in Latin America to develop the complex ship type under license at its local shipyards following Mexico and Brazil.
Damen’s Sigma Design
The Sigma vessel design is a family of military ships consisting of corvette and frigate variants.
The frigate measures 105.1 meters (344.8 feet) long and incorporates a 14-meter (45.9-foot) beam.
It can carry more than 120 personnel, 6 to 10-ton (5,443 to 9,072-kilogram) class helicopters, and up to two rigid-hull inflatable boats.
It is equipped with 3D surveillance radar, hull-mounted sonar, internal and external communication systems, decoy launchers, torpedoes, and surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile launchers.
The ship sails with twin electric and diesel engines as well as six Caterpillar generators for a top speed of 28 knots (51.8 kilometers/32.2 miles per hour), a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 kilometers/5,753.8 miles), and an endurance of 20 days at sea.
