The Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Jorge Nobre de Sousa, travelled to Rome, where he accompanied the Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, at the signing ceremony of the bilateral agreement between Portugal and Italy, under the SAFE programme, for the acquisition of three new generation frigates for the Portuguese Navy.
During the visit, Admiral Jorge Nobre de Sousa also participated in a bilateral meeting of the Minister of Defence with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, reinforcing cooperation between the two Navies and dialogue around the modernization of naval capabilities.
The State-to-State agreement provides for the acquisition of the three frigates, their sustainment throughout their life cycle, the transfer of technology and cooperation with national industry, contributing to the strengthening of the Navy’s capabilities and the modernization of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
The delivery of the new ships to the Portuguese Navy is scheduled for the period between 2029 and 2030.