MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina takes delivery of the last of four French-built OPVs

Captain Nicolás Leonardo Salinas took command of the Cordero

Argentina has taken delivery of the new OPV ARA Contraalmirante Cordero built in France's shipyard in the city of Concarneau. It is the fourth and last unit from a contract signed in 2018.

The new vessel was welcomed by Argentina's Defense Ministry Wednesday and it will join the Navy's Maritime Patrol Division in June. Heading Argentina's delegation to France were Francisco Cafiero, Secretary of International Affairs for the Defense Ministry and Navy Deputy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Eduardo Traina.

“The delivery of the OPV Contraalmirante Cordero represents an extremely important milestone for the Argentine Navy since it allows us - together with the other three patrol vessels of the series - to increase our maritime patrol capacity and the custody of the resources existing in our Exclusive Economic Zone,” Traina told Infobae.

He added that “this delivery represents the closing of an acquisition program of four units, which marks on the French side the capacity to comply with the responsibility of fulfilling the construction and delivery plan in accordance with the contractual terms, in spite of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.”

The naval officer also highlighted Argentina's compliance with payment deadlines through the FONDEF (Defense Fund).

Cafiero said that “during today's visit to the port of Concarneau we highlighted the importance of the incorporation of these ocean patrol vessels for the Argentine Navy.”

“This cooperation agreement made in recent years with Naval Group was a fundamental link for the recovery of the bilateral relationship between Argentina and France in defense matters. Thanks to FONDEF, which is a real strategic tool for the re-equipment of the Armed Forces, we were able to take the necessary steps to carry out these incorporations,” he added.

With the Cordero, the Maritime Patrol Division will have at least 6 operational units (4 OPVs and 2 corvettes).

The ship will remain in France until early May for additional testing and adjustments, before sailing to the South Atlantic. Also Wednesday, Captain Nicolás Leonardo Salinas took command of the ship.

The vessel's features are: Displacement - 1,650 tons; Length - 87 meters; Beam: 13.6 meters; Maximum draft - 4.2 meters. Propulsion: Two diesel engines, two Schottel shaft lines with controllable pitch propeller and a Noristar control system, two main generators, two tail generators and one emergency generator, two non-retractable stabilizing fins. Maximum speed: 21 knots (approximately 39 kilometers per hour). Range: 7,000 miles (12,964 kilometers) at 12 knots. Crew - 40. (additional space for 19 people).

Rear Admiral Bartolomé Leónidas Cordero was born in Buenos Aires Aug. 24, 1830, and served in the Argentine naval forces for more than five decades, until his death on September 5, 1892.

In 1841, when he was only eleven years old, he followed the path of his older brothers José María and Mariano, enlisting in the squadron of the Argentine Confederation, where he initially served aboard the brigantine “General Belgrano”, the flagship of the Argentine Confederation, where he was taught by Argentina's naval hero, Admiral Guillermo Brown. Cordero was Navy Chief of Staff at the time of his death.

(Source: Infobae)