The Greek Navy is said to be in talks with the Netherlands over the sale of frigates, and the sale of mine hunters is also a matter of debate. Greek media reported this.
HNLMS Makkum, one of the five researchers active in Alkmaar mines. (Photo: SGTBDAV Jasper Verolme / Defense)
Greece would like to quickly acquire new naval vessels due to the aging of the fleet and the recent developing tensions between Greece and Turkey. Most surprising was the replacement program for the old S frigates. Developments followed each other in quick succession over the past year, in addition to the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Korea also submitted proposals.
At the same time, the Greek Navy also needs anti-mine measures. Especially after a Greek miner researcher, HS Kallisto, is halved by a merchant ship in 2020. Daily newspaper Cathimerini He was the first to be informed recently that a Greek delegation will travel to the Netherlands to talk about Alkmaar frigates and mine hunters.
Earlier it was known that between the Netherlands and Greece two current M frigates, the Zr.Ms. Van Amstel and Zr.Ms. Van Speijk, discussed. The M frigates were part of a Dutch offer as a temporary, short-term solution, which was an order from the Greeks. Damen offers Sigma 11515 HN in the long run. About a possible sale of the frigates, the Ministry of Defense initially responded to questions from Marineschepen.nl that the M frigates “were not actively offered”, but Damen reported the planned decommissioning.
It was not known that the sale of Alkmaar hunters was also possible. This option may have gained momentum because the Navy decided to abandon the miner due to lack of personnel. HNLMS Urk has been discontinued since December and will be decommissioned this year.
Greece mainly works with ancient British miners and it is unlikely to purchase a new species, the Alkmaar miner. However, the mining service will receive new miners from 2025, so discussing the sale of several miners near Urk is not far-fetched.
It is not known whether Greece, like frigates, also wants to replenish the mine service fleet in two steps. If so, the Dutch offer could be expanded with the existing Alkmaar miner seekers and the mine-fighting concept that Damen developed for Belgium and the Netherlands at a later date. However, France does have a strong trump card in this regard: after all, the concept of anti-mine action has been sold to the Netherlands and Belgium, so it is more than just a concept.
Kathimerini described the Dutch talks as “interesting” and further wrote: “The volume of conversations with the Dutch indicates that, like the French, they are important potential suppliers.” France, in particular, has been fighting at all levels at all levels in recent months to win the Greece deal and appear to be among the big contenders.
