Chile Boosts Domestic Shipbuilding with New Procurement Policy

 

Chile has launched a national naval shipbuilding policy, which will see the navy utilize domestic shipyards during the ongoing fleet renewal program. President Gabriel Boric signed the policy last week during a visit to the state-owned shipyard Asmar in Talcahuano port city.

In June last year, Boric instructed the Ministries of Defense and Economy, together with the Chilean Navy, to formulate a naval construction policy. The aim is to consolidate the country’s defense industry as Chilean Navy pivots to sourcing naval platforms in domestic yards.

Recently, Asmar announced that it plans to begin construction of the first frigate for the Chilean Navy in 2032. “Asmar has tremendous experience in shipbuilding and it has been building auxiliary ships of different types for more than 60 years. But we want to build our own frigates in the next decade. We will be responsible for the detailed engineering and construction of the frigate. However, we also require collaboration with associated companies for the integration of necessary systems,” said Rear Admiral José Miguel Hernández, Director of Asmar.

According to Boric, the signing of the Naval Construction Policy is more about affirming Chile’s sovereignty. This will help reduce dependence on foreign yards for critical defense platforms. In addition, the shipbuilding policy will help in fast-tracking delivery of four multipurpose vessels, which the Chilean Navy procured as part of the Escotillón IV project.

The first vessel under this project is nearing completion at Asmar yard and is scheduled to begin sea trials this year. On Friday, the Chilean Navy announced that the construction of the third and fourth vessel under the project would start, with the Naval Construction Policy now in place.

The Chilean Navy launched the Escotillón IV project in 2022 as part of its efforts to modernize and improve the deployment capabilities of its transport and logistics command, Comanfitran. The four multipurpose units are designed to operate in the Pacific, as well as navigate Antarctic waters during the summer months. Further, the vessels will help carry out naval logistics support, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Chile has already demonstrated capacity to build large vessels in local yards, with the commissioning of its new icebreaker Almirante Viel last year. The successful delivery of the Escotillón IV project will mark another milestone for the Chilean shipbuilding sector.