NVL Group Lays Keel of 2nd MMPV for The Bulgarian Navy
At an official ceremony in Varna, German shipbuilder NVL Group and local shipyard partner MTG Dolphin laid the keel of the second multipurpose modular patrol vessel (MMPV) designed for the Republic of Bulgaria Navy. The keel-laying ceremony was attended by Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, Bulgarian Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov, NVL Group Managing Director Dirk Malgowski, MTG-Dolphin CEO Svetlin Stoyanov, and local business figures.
During the ceremony, NVL Group Managing Director Dirk Malgowski said: “the keel-laying of the second MMPV vessel marks an important juncture for the programme. From now on, we will be working visible on two ships in parallel. This lifts the challenge for all involved in the design and construction and everyone is excited about the steady increase of activities on the shipyard and in the offices.”
MTG-Dolphin CEO Svetlin Stoyanov stated, “today’s event is confirming once again our commitment to the project and valuable cooperation amongst all stakeholders. Despite numerous challenges, our joint effort brings the results, which are visible with the first ship close to launching and the second already in progress. Partnership between NVL, MTG, NTB and Bulgarian Navy will continue to be vital for timely and within budget delivery of the project.”
Bulgaria signed a $450 million contract with the German NVL Group in November 2020, which includes two new multipurpose modular patrol vessels. One month after the contract was signed, Saab was selected to provide and integrate a combat system for the Bulgarian Navy’s new Modular Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessels (MMPV). According to the contract, the ships would be built in Varna by MTG Dolphin, a subcontractor of NVL Group, the project’s main contractor. In this context, the shipyard began work on the first ship in December 2021. The first of these new ships, which will replace the Bulgarian Navy’s two old Pauk-class Soviet corvettes “Resolute” and “Bodri,” is scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2025, with the second following a year later.
These ships, which will enable the Bulgarian Navy to counter air, ground, surface, and subsurface threats, will allow Bulgaria to successfully participate in allied operations and missions in addition to defending the country’s national naval interests. The ships, based on the Lürssen OPV-90 design, will have a length of 90 meters, a displacement of 2,300 tons when completed, and a wide range of naval capabilities supported by an integrated CMS. There is still no definitive information on what armaments the corvettes in the MMPV project will be equipped with.