Uruguay orders new coastal boats for the navy

Uruguay - 30 years ago, Germany helped the Uruguayan navy with numerous ships and boats from the German surplus stock, thus ensuring that it had reasonably operational material. For some years now, the second life of these units has clearly been used up. The country needs new ships! Now, in mid-July, after 15 years of half-hearted searching and some extremely controversial offers from China to take over a few of the cheap JIANGDAO corvettes (type 056), and then the proposal to purchase Norwegian NORDKAPP-class coast guard vessels, which are ice-capable but completely worn out after 40 years, but even cheaper, a lonely decision was made by the Minister of Defence, Javier García: Two coastal boats similar to the METEORO class (Buque de Acción Marítima) are to be built for 82 million euros at the small northern Spanish shipyard Cardama in Vigo. The 87 metre long, 1700 tonne vessels with a helicopter hangar and platform above the RHIB ramp at the stern are to be delivered at the beginning of 2025. It is said to have been the quickest and most favourable offer. But the trade unions are already rebelling, asking why it couldn't have been built in Uruguay itself? That would have been an experiment after all that has happened in the navy in recent years in terms of ship technology and navigation. This decision, which still has to be approved by the budget committee, would finally be a major and decisive step towards modernising the Uruguayan navy! Three PROTECTOR boats (27 m, 90 t) were already contributed second-hand by the US Coast Guard in 2022. This year, a donated CHAMSURI-class guard boat (37 m, 150 tonnes) from South Korean stocks will probably also be added. Even if Uruguay did not decide to buy one there, people in South-East Asia do not forget that Uruguay helped the South during the Korean War with a medical donation worth 18 million dollars in today's value!