Radar · Projects to watch · 03 / 29
PES Frigate — Colombian Navy strategic surface platform programme
A Dutch-designed warship being built under licence in Latin America — a rare naval/shipbuilding entry showing Damen's engineering and technology-transfer model exported far outside Europe, distinct from its troubled domestic ASW-frigate and cancelled German F126 programmes.
Naval shipbuilding · Colombia (Americas) · every fact below is as reported by the linked sources, checked by hand on 2026-10-08.
- Size
- 107.5 m frigate, 14.02 m beam; largest defence vessel Colombia has built, modular construction with 52 naval steel blocks
- Operator / developer
- Colombian Navy (Armada Nacional de Colombia)
- Phase, as reported
- fabrication (first steel-cutting 5 February 2026)
- Checked on
- 2026-10-08
Phase track steps named in the reported phase are marked
- FID
- Engineering
- Fabrication
- Construction
- Installation
- Commissioning
Who builds it as stated by the sources
- COTECMAR — shipyard, local construction
- Damen Naval — SIGMA-based ship design, engineering, technical support and materials, under a contract signed with COTECMAR
Key dates as stated by the sources
- Steel cutting
- 5 February 2026
- Engine delivery
- Late 2026
- Sea trials target
- 2029
Disciplines likely needed our inference
- naval architecture/structural engineering
- systems integration
- project management
- QA/QC
- commissioning (later phase)
Our inference from project kind and phase — not stated by the sources below.
Sources checked on 2026-10-08
- COTECMAR and Damen to build frigate for Colombian NavyDamen (company newsroom) · published 2024-08-12 · retrieved 2026-09-19
- COTECMAR Shipyard Starts Construction of First PES Frigate for Colombian NavyNaval News · published 2026-02-05 · retrieved 2026-09-19
- Colombian Navy awards contract to COTECMAR for first PES frigate, ocean patrol vessel, and logistic support shipJanes · published 2022-11-30 · retrieved 2026-09-19
- El presidente de Colombia visita Cotecmar y conoce sus capacidades de construcción navalInfodefensa · published 2026-09-22 · retrieved 2026-10-08
Position on our globe: 10.40°N 75.55°W. Location approximate: COTECMAR shipyard, Cartagena, Colombia.