Croatian MOD

The ceremonial handover and the appointment of a new coastal patrol ship OOB-32 Umag was held today, January 17, 2025, in the barracks “Admiral Fleet Sveto Letica-Barba” in Split.

After the prototype of the coastal patrol ship OOB-31 Omiš, this is the second coastal patrol ship, that is, the first from a series of a total of five ships that enters the Coast Guard and the Croatian Navy.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia launched a long-term project for the construction of coastal patrol ships for the Coast Guard and the Croatian Navy.

he indebt as well as the completion of this strategic project is one of the priorities of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and the Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić since the beginning of his mandate as Minister of Defence.

Namely, in March 2024, a contract was signed on the completion of the first coastal patrol ship from the series, i.e. the second with the prototype Omiš.

Croatian MOD

The project of building a coastal patrol ship is part of the strategic efforts of the Republic of Croatia to modernize and strengthen national defense capabilities, with an emphasis on cooperation with domestic companies. The value of the coastal patrol ship OOB-32 Umag is 13.2 million euros with VAT.

Minister Anušić: This is the beginning of modernization of the Croatian Navy

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić said at the ceremony: “This ship is only the first from the series that we will deliver to the Croatian Navy. This is just the beginning of the modernization of the Croatian Navy. We have just started the process of purchasing a multi-purpose ship type cornea. And we will soon present this modernization project to the public and we expect that the Croatian Navy will soon be equipped with a multipurpose ship of the cortegation type.”

In the context of the realization of the construction of coastal patrol ships, Minister Anušić stressed that one of his first tasks when he became Minister of Defence was an agreement on the continuation of this project.

The Minister also recalled that Croatia today allocates two percent of GDP for defense and that it continues to strengthen and modernize the Armed Forces. “The Croatian victorious army will reach the level it deserves, the level that will guarantee the Croatian state and the Croatian people security, integrity and territorial integrity,” he said.

In the end, the Minister emphasized that in his mandate and the mandate of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the first and basic task of taking care of man is. “Man is the key to the strength and strength of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, and that is why we will continue to raise the standard for our soldiers, officers and non-commune officers,” he said.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, wished the ship Umag a long and successful voyage. He pointed out that he believes the ship will contribute to a higher level of our maritime security, as well as the protection of our borders at sea.

“The coast guard will undoubtedly raise its level of capability at sea. The equipping of this ship is an indicator of technological progress of the Croatian Navy, but also an important element of our maritime tradition because it will serve to face the modern challenges of protecting our maritime domain,” he stressed.

“I would like to thank the Minister of Defense for the enthusiasm, work and efforts he invests in equipping and organizing the Armed Forces as a whole in order to be sovereign in implementing our core mission, which is deterrence and defense,” said General Kundid.

Commander of the Croatian Navy co-war Komodor Damir Dojkić said: “To be sovereign at sea, means being able to control and control what is happening in the waters under its own jurisdiction, not only in the territorial sea but also in the area of the exclusive economic zone, which is the basic task of the Coast Guard as an integral part of the Croatian Navy. It is this ship that will improve these capabilities in which the ship Omis has already proven itself.”

On behalf of all members of the Croatian Navy, Komodor Dojkić thanked Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić, who recognized the importance of the project and the needs of the Croatian Navy, and defined it as one of the priorities in his mandate and ultimately successfully realized it.

As an honorary godmother, the name of the ship Umag was revealed at the ceremony by Danijela Radeka Paljuh, daughter of Valter Radeka, the first deceased member of the Croatian Navy from Istria.

At the ceremony, the handover was the envoy of the President of the Croatian Parliament Tomislav Šuta, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić with associates, the envoy of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and the Minister of Croatian Veterans State Secretary Zlatan Bašić, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid with associates, the commander of the Croatian Navy Chamber Damir Dojkić, the President of the Management Board of Brodosplit Tomislav Debeljak.

Let us remind you that the project of equipping the Coast Guard with five coastal patrol ships is to maintain and improve the ability of the Croatian Coast Guard in monitoring and protecting the rights and interests of the Republic of Croatia at sea. Coastal patrol ships are crucial for the supervision and protection of the Croatian maritime territory and border control, and their delivery will significantly improve the capacities of the Coast Guard and the Croatian Navy.

Technical characteristics of coastal patrol ship

The ship is 43.16 meters long. It is equipped with a remotely controlled weapon station with automatic 30-millimeter gun and two manually operated 12.7 mm and four manual portable anti-aircraft missile systems.

The capacity of the ship is 17 crew members, with the autonomy of navigation for ten days. The speed of 28 knots is provided by the main marine engines with a power of 2 x 2525 kW (2 x 3386 horsepower).

It is equipped, among other things, with high-resolution daily cameras for detecting and tracking targets, a thermal camera for long-distance target detection with two special binoculars for night monitoring.