Following the final contractual arrangements, FMI can announce that a contract was signed on February 4 for new marine environmental and mine-laying vessels for the Danish Navy. The vessels will be able to lay mines and assist the Danish Navy with tasks such as maritime surveillance and sovereignty enforcement.
The Danish Ministry of Defense’s Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) signed a contract earlier this year for new marine environment and minelaying vessels, which will be delivered by Konsortiet Orlogsskibe Danmark K/S. The consortium consists of the three Danish companies OSK Design A/S, Karstensens Skibsværft A/S and Hvide Sande Shipyard.
“I am pleased to sign this agreement. With the acquisition of the new vessels, the Navy will be provided with modern capabilities for marine environmental preparedness. With new vessels, tasks that fall under the marine environment area can be handled efficiently and in accordance with the conventions that Denmark is covered by,” says Flotilla Admiral Claus Lundholm Andersen, Head of the Fleet Program at FMI.
On June 10, 2026, steel cutting to produce the first ship hull began at the shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, owned and operated by Karstens Shipyard. The hull building is expected to take approximately one year, after which the hull will be towed to Hvide Sande for further outfitting. Hull production for the next vessel will begin thereafter.
Collaboration with MSSB
The decision to acquire new marine environment and mine-laying vessels is part of the political partial agreement on a naval plan in the current defense settlement. The new vessels will replace the existing capacities in the area and, in addition to solving marine environment tasks, will also be equipped to be able to lay mines and assist with other naval tasks such as water surveillance and sovereignty assertion.
The vessels are being procured by FMI and manned by the Navy but are assigned to the marine environment task by the Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, which is responsible for the marine environment. The vessels are delivered for expected operational commissioning starting at the turn of 2029.