The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed an agreement with the supplier Freire Shipyard for the order of four new auxiliary ships. The new vessels are intended to strengthen the naval mobile logistics and will be delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces by 2030.
– The procurement of the auxiliary ships began in the summer of 2024, and with the signing of the contract, we are entering the production phase. The project's strategy is to purchase a civilian vessel and then add weapons and military command and communication systems at a separately contracted militarisation shipyard, says Carl Johan Widmark, project manager at FMV.
According to a press release from FMV, the auxiliary ships are one of four new platform types included in the agency's efforts to support the development of naval mobile logistics. The other platform types included are workboats, harbour tugs, and bunker vessels. The workboats are specifically intended for torpedo recovery and underwater operations.
The initiative also involves the acquisition of new equipment intended for the logistical supply of submarines. The new materiel will then be continuously delivered to the naval base battalions. According to FMV, the capability of the auxiliary ships results in more flexible and less vulnerable logistics for the navy's vessels.