Norway: Bergen Wins Frigate Maintenance Contract

Bergen Group BMV has been awarded a contract with the Norwegian Armed Forces’ logistics organization for the ship technical maintenance of the Navy’s frigate class for the next two years. The contract includes an option for one-year extension for further three years. For the first two years, the contract has an estimated value of NOK 150-200 million.

The project involves planning, coordination and implementation of scheduled maintenance, corrective maintenance and other additional work on the Navy’s five frigates. The work will mainly be conducted on the Navy’s main naval base at Haakonsvern just outside Bergen.

The new frigates are highly complex vessels, and the implementation of such a project requires great demands on expertise, quality and documentation.

“This contract represents a new and important milestone in the Bergen Group’s long-term strategy to develop the Group’s expertise and capacity related to complex maritime projects. The Navy is a demanding customer who challenges us constructively on these areas“, says CEO Terje Arnesen in Bergen Group.

Bergen Group’s cooperation with the Norwegian Armed Forces has a history going back to 2002 when the yard took over the traditions of many years of collaboration between the Norwegian Armed Forces, BMV Laksevåg and the former yard Mjellem & Karlsen. In November 2010, Bergen Group was awarded the contract with the Norwegian Armed Forces’ logistics organization on maritime technical major overhaul of the F-310 frigate KNM Fridtjof Nansen. This project was completed in 2011. The new contract will mainly involve the same type of work on the other vessels of the frigate class.

(1 Norwegian krone = 0.164468 U.S. dollars)

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, June 7, 2012; Image: mil.no