Vessel Will Improve Navy’s Logistics Capabilities

After signing a contract with Fassmer at the end of last year, Ecuadorian shipyard Astinave has selected the German yard’s MPV70 MKII design for the Navy’s new Multipurpose Combat Vessel programme.

The vessel is to be built at Astinave’s Guayaquil yard, with design, engineering and technical support and materiel packages from Fassmer.

The MPV70 MKII is a novel design, part of a family of new Fassmer warships that feature a combination of support and patrol functions, providing optimisation of assets at the fleet level as well as an increased capacity for disaster relief and humanitarian aid. The vessel will also include Astinave’s ORION combat management system and an integrated mast with a complete digital radar jointly developed with Italy’s Virtualabs SRL.

The vessel’s surveillance capabilities and C4I configuration, combined with two aft-launched interceptor boats and a large flight deck, provide effective patrol and deterrence capabilities. Among the logistics capabilities, the ship can handle a variety of containers and liquid cargo: it is also designed with a replenishment-at-sea transfer system to support other ships.

This ship aims to improve the logistics capabilities of the Ecuadorian Navy, increasing its presence in the exclusive economic zone, providing search and rescue capabilities and protecting fisheries and other natural resources.

Santiago Rivas/Florencia Lucero Heguy for MON