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Defence Ministry to buy 4 corvettes by 2024 in a EUR 1.6bn investment
Ministry of National Defence will purchase four corvettes in the upcoming seven years, to be built and equipped in a Romanian building yard, romaniajournal.ro reads. The investment mounts to about EUR 1.6bn, reads a draft launched in public debate.
The draft says the four corvettes are part of the endowment plan of the Romanian Navy.
The total value of the investment project of about EUR 1.6bn will be paid by installment during 2018-2024, from the funds allotted to the Ministry of Defence.
“The essential security interest for the Romanian state is to develop and enhance a naval industrial capability in the military field on the national territory where we can build and equip the first corvette in the upcoming three years and the group of four corvettes in a period of maximum seven years, within the endowment plan of the Romanian naval forces. Subsequently, this naval capability will have to be able to provide maintenance works for the corvettes, but also maintenance works for the rest of the ships, thus increasing the supplying security during peace time, in crisis situations and during war,” says the draft, which is in public debate on the Defence Ministry’s website until August 26.
Former Grindeanu Cabinet announced in March this year the Government would not buy the multirol corvettes that were to be built in Galati. Ex-PM Grindeanu argued that the decision taken by the Ciolos Cabinet for this acquisition was illegal.
“We shall repeal the government decision passed in December, for it was not legal. There has to be a memorandum Okayed by the Parliament. Any investment in this field, which is higher than EUR 100 M, must be approved by the Parliament,” PM Grindeanu told Antena 3.
Ciolos Cabinet passed the decision in the sitting of November 29, 2016 within the “multifunctional corvette” strategic endowment programme. The Ciolos Gov’t practically approved the procedure in the view of delivering by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding BV of four SIGMA class corvettes to be built at Damen Shipyard in Galati. The estimated value of the programme to unfold for 7 years was EUR 1.6 billion, also including ammunition and the initial logistic support, as well as the crew’s training.