Saturday 12 October saw another naval visit to the Port of Cape Town, this time from the Portuguese Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) NRP Viana do Castelo.
The Viana do Castelo left Lisbon in August and is making its way around Africa, having previously visited Namibia, in September, and Mozambique, at the beginning of October. The vessel is slated to make its next stop in Angola, before participating in the Grand African Nemo exercise in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Via do Castelo will then continue north to Cabo Verde and Mauritania before returning to Portugal in December. On concluding its journey, it will have visited Cabo Verde, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, and Mauritania.
The first of its class, the Viana do Castelo was commissioned in March 2011, and measures 83.1 metres in length, with a beam of 12.95 metres and a draught of 3.82 metres. Specifically designed to operate in the North Atlantic Ocean, the vessel’s primary role is fisheries protection and search and rescue (SAR) operations.
The Portuguese Navy has slowly upgraded its OPVs during maintenance cycles, to ensure its capabilities remain relevant and effective. Initially the Viana do Castelo was armed with an old 40 mm naval gun but has since received a 30 mm Oto Melara Marlin main gun. Future upgrades are planned to include anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, and the ability to enable vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The Viana do Castelo arrived in Cape Town a day after the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel Lyme Bay. Other foreign naval visitors include the Brazilian Niteroi-class frigate BNS Defensora with a Super Lynx helicopter and a Special Forces team, and the Indian Navy frigate INS Talwar with a Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopter and an Indian Special Forces team. These two vessels are currently taking part in Exercise Ibsamar with the South African Navy frigate SAS Amatola.
Viana do Castelo is due to depart Cape Town on Monday 14 October.
