Brazilian Navy launches “Tamandaré” frigate in Itajaí (SC). This is the first of the four frigates planned in the “Tamandaré” Class Frigate Program and was manufactured entirely in Brazil.
By First Lieutenant (RM2-T) Thaís Cerqueira – Agência Marinha de Notícias
This Friday (9) marked a historic milestone for shipbuilding in Brazil. The Brazilian Navy (MB) and Sociedade de Propósito Específico (SPE) Águas Azuis held the Launching Ceremony of the “Tamandaré” Frigate (F200), the first of the four planned in the “Tamandaré” Class Frigate Program (PFCT). The event was held at thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul (tkEBS), in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The PFCT is considered the most innovative shipbuilding project developed in Brazil, with local labor and technology transfer.
The frigate launched today has high combat power, is capable of protecting Brazil’s extensive maritime area of more than 5.7 million km², the “Blue Amazon”, as well as having the capacity to carry out search and rescue operations, monitor and combat pollution, piracy, legal fishing, among other threats, and also meet international commitments.
The event was attended by the President of the Republic, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, the Minister of Defense, José Mucio Monteiro, the Commander of the Navy, Fleet Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, and other representatives of the Admiralty and other authorities, as well as members of the defense industry and the scientific and technological community.
In his speech, the President of the Republic said that “the technological modernization of our Armed Forces and the strengthening of their Defence Industrial Base is a strategic initiative from many different points of view: defence, economy, technology and international cooperation. This project, which adds cutting-edge technology, is the result of a very well-built partnership between the Ministry of Defense and the Brazilian Navy and the Águas Azuis consortium”.
The Minister of Defense, José Mucio, recalled that he was delighted to see the results of initiatives by different segments of Brazilian society. “There is no better proof of our capacity in terms of Defense than the delivery of the Tamandaré Class Frigates. This will make it possible to replace ships that have been in operation for more than 40 years. Thus materializing the unavoidable renewal of our Fleet. And this requirement to make the Navy more capable of defending Brazil’s interests at sea coincides with the confirmation of the immense volume of wealth to be protected for the Brazilian people in our Blue Amazon.”
The PFCT aims to modernize the Brazilian Fleet, strengthening its capacity to guarantee the country’s sovereignty, as well as encouraging the growth of the national defence industry and the production chain needed to build the ships on Brazilian soil. Over the course of the program, more than 6,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created.
The Commander of the Navy, Admiral Olsen, highlighted the importance of the natural riches and the unbridled economic potential that encompass Brazil’s jurisdictional waters, which is an essential stimulus for the state to have a naval power with characteristics of mobility, permanence, versatility and flexibility. “Brazil is unviable without organized use of its vast maritime domain, a coastline of around 7,500 km facing the Atlantic Ocean, through which around 95 percent of its foreign trade passes.”
SPE Águas Azuis is made up of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defesa e Segurança and Atech. The PFCT is managed by Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais (EMGEPRON). Since signing the contract with MB in March 2020, important progress has been made in construction activities, following the established schedule. The “Tamandaré” frigate began to be built in September 2022 and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy at the end of 2025.
Frigate “Tamandaré”, the F200
The “Tamandaré” frigate has a displacement of approximately 3,500 tons and is equipped with a convoy, helicopter hangar, radars, sensors and state-of-the-art weapons. She is an escort ship, endowed with important and considerable combat capacity, operating in all war environments, namely: surface, air and submarine. One of its main tasks is to protect higher value units when operating in a task group with ships of different characteristics.
Around 130 military personnel will work on the F200, which is already undergoing specialized training so that everyone is ready to operate the vessel safely and efficiently.
Naval tradition: the christening
The launching ceremony is the moment when the ship receives its official name. The Frigate “Tamandaré”, gives its name to the class: “Tamandaré”, a tribute to Admiral Joaquim Marques Lisboa, the Marquis of Tamandaré. He is the Patron of the Brazilian Navy and defended the nation in various important conflicts, including the Cisplatine War and the War of the Triple Alliance.
Fulfilling the naval tradition of christening, in order to attract good luck and protection for the ship and its crew, Mrs. Vera Brennand, wife of the Minister of Defense, christened the Frigate during the traditional act of breaking a bottle of sparkling wine on the hull of the vessel.
The christening of ships is an ancient ritual that goes back to the traditions of Vikings, Romans, Greeks and Babylonians. It is in this context that the ceremony of launching a ship into the sea takes place, when it is baptized by a godmother and receives its official name.
Next steps for the F200
In modern shipbuilding projects, such as the one adopted in the PFCT, the ship is launched into the sea by an operation called “load out”, which consists of moving the vessel onto a floating dyke, followed by the controlled immersion of this platform, until the ship reaches its own support in the water. This is a complex procedure that will take place over the next few days. After this stage, the frigate will be transferred to the quayside until the necessary finishing touches and tests are completed, and then it will be ready for its sea trial.
About the “Tamandaré” Class Frigate Program
The program involves the transfer of technology for handling and manufacturing the ships from thin steel plates, as well as production in blocks to be built later. In this way, it is possible to install fittings and foundations in advance, as well as facilitating the placement of equipment on board and enabling work to be carried out at various stages in a segregated manner in each unit. The process also increases employee safety by keeping spaces open for longer during construction.
In addition, PFCT works with paperless technology, which aims to develop completely digitally, eliminating paper on the production line and promoting environmental preservation. The project includes management of the ship’s life cycle, which projects investments from construction to disposal.
All the vessels will be produced domestically, with high levels of local content and technology transfer, which will boost national shipbuilding and promote the Defense Industrial Base. By building the vessels in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, MB has enabled the reactivation of a shipyard, rehiring professionals and generating more jobs and income for the region.
The frigates are an important reinforcement in the protection of the more than five million square kilometers of our Blue Amazon. It is at sea that Brazil’s main oil and gas exploration platforms are located; it is by sea that most of the country’s production is exported and it is also by sea that many Brazilians derive their livelihood and income from fishing and tourism.
The four frigates will be delivered to the Navy gradually between 2025 and 2029.
Frigate “Jerônimo de Albuquerque”, the second vessel in the program, is already being built
In June 2024, the “Jerônimo de Albuquerque” (F-201) frigate’s keel-laying ceremony took place, which also marked the progress of the PFCT. Frigates are built using blocks, which are assembled separately and then joined together to form the ship. In this case, ramming is characterized by the positioning of one of these blocks at its building site.
The second frigate in the program, scheduled for delivery in 2027, is named Jerônimo de Albuquerque, after the first Brazilian born to command a naval force to defend Brazil. He was one of the heroes of the conquest of Maranhão.
Technical information on the Tamandaré Frigate:
Length: 107.2m
Mouth: 15.95m
Pontal (height): 20.2m
Displacement: 3380 tons
Range: 5,500 nautical miles
Speed: 25 knots (equivalent to around 47 km/h)