MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay submits EUR 60 million offer to acquire three Royal Navy used patrol vessels

The units in question correspond to the first generation of the Royal Navy's River class —HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn—, built between 2001 and 2003

The Uruguayan government will this week present a formal offer to the United Kingdom's embassy for the acquisition of three used offshore patrol vessels belonging to the British Royal Navy, for an approximate amount of 60 million euros, as announced by the Deputy Secretary of the Presidency, Jorge Díaz. The operation, structured as a direct state-to-state purchase, fits within the administration of President Yamandú Orsi's search to replace the contract terminated with the Spanish shipyard Cardama, in parallel with the hardening of accusations from the Uruguayan executive against the Vigo-based company over the use of public funds transferred.

“This week we have to present the note at the United Kingdom's embassy expressing our interest in acquiring them,” Díaz said in an interview with the Uruguayan channel Teledoce. The Deputy Secretary specified that each of the patrol vessels has a value of 20 million euros and a remaining useful life of between 20 and 25 years. The units in question correspond to the first generation of the Royal Navy's River class —HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn—, built between 2001 and 2003 and scheduled for decommissioning as part of the British fleet renewal. Díaz indicated that the acquisition of the used vessels represents “the possibility of having OPVs quickly,” although the government continues exploring options to also incorporate new units. The Deputy Secretary implicitly ruled out the Spanish state shipyard Navantia and confirmed that the incorporation of new units will be carried out through bilateral negotiation between states.

In parallel, Díaz hardened the accusations against the Cardama shipyard, with which Uruguay had signed a contract for 82.2 million euros for the construction of two patrol vessels, rescinded on 13 February 2026 following the disclosure of problems with the associated bank guarantee. “We are handling public money, 28 million euros were given to them and we do not know what they spent it on. Where are they? In what was built, certainly not,” the Deputy Secretary said. He subsequently qualified that the government maintains “the presumption that the bulk of the money was not allocated to the construction of the boat.” Díaz confirmed the existence of a government working group in charge of the international arbitration opened by Cardama, which the executive considers inadmissible by arguing that the contract establishes a clause of local jurisdiction. Uruguay is preparing a court action against the shipyard for the return of the funds delivered, damages and prejudices, and the delivery of what has been built so far.

The Galician shipyard, for its part, has continued its activity despite the conflict: it recently completed work on the Portuguese oceanographic vessel Mário Ruivo and is engaged in negotiations for new contracts. Cardama has demanded that Uruguay remove the first patrol vessel from its facilities, whose blocks and keel are already built, although Díaz warned that the appraisal of that material represents an additional obstacle to the resolution of the bilateral conflict.