{"id":5964,"date":"2026-07-05T10:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/?p=5964"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T16:48:21","slug":"a-south-american-nation-confirmed-its-first-home-built-warship-a-frigate-it-promises-will-be-latin-americas-most-powerful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/a-south-american-nation-confirmed-its-first-home-built-warship-a-frigate-it-promises-will-be-latin-americas-most-powerful\/5964\/","title":{"rendered":"A South American nation confirmed its first home-built warship: a frigate it promises will be Latin America’s most powerful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Colombia has started building its first national frigate, a move that pushes the country into a new phase of naval defense, shipbuilding technology, and maritime security. The vessel, known as the Strategic Surface Platform (PES), is being built by COTECMAR for the Colombian Navy and is expected to become the largest security and defense ship the country will have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not just another military purchase. It is a test of whether Colombia can build, maintain, and eventually upgrade a complex warship at home, instead of depending almost entirely on foreign yards. And for a country with coastlines on both the Caribbean and Pacific, that matters far beyond the shipyard gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A ship built at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The PES officially began construction at COTECMAR\u2019s Mamonal facility in Cartagena, where the first steel cutting marked the start of the country\u2019s most ambitious naval engineering project so far. COTECMAR said the frigate will be the first of its kind built in Colombia and will strengthen the national shipbuilding industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: The world’s largest cruise ship squeezed under a Danish bridge with just 30 centimeters to spare: how it cleared the gap<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom COTECMAR, we will keep moving forward, building the future and showing that Colombian naval engineering is world-class,\u201d Vice Adm. Luis Fernando M\u00e1rquez Velosa, then president of COTECMAR, said during the ceremony. It is the kind of statement that sounds ceremonial, but in this case, the steel is already being cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship will be built using a modular strategy, with its hull formed from 52 naval steel blocks. In practical terms, that means the frigate can be assembled in major sections, a method that helps organize complex work and gives engineers more control over quality during construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the size matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Colombian frigate will measure about 353 feet long, 46 feet wide, and have a draft of about 12.8 feet. That makes it a major step up for COTECMAR and for the country\u2019s defense industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size alone does not make a ship powerful. But it does create room for sensors, weapons, communications systems, helicopters, and future upgrades, all of which matter when a navy is trying to operate across wide maritime areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COTECMAR says the project will make Colombia the third Latin American country, after Mexico and Brazil, with the ability to build this type of complex naval platform. That is a big claim, but it also shows what is really at stake here. Prestige is part of it, sure. Capability is the bigger story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Steel
By utilizing modular construction and advanced combat systems, Colombia\u2019s new home-built frigate aims to set a new standard for Latin American naval power by 2030.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Damen\u2019s proven base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Colombian frigate is based on Damen\u2019s SIGMA 10514 model, a modular naval design already associated with ships built for other navies. Damen said its agreement with COTECMAR<\/a> covers technical support and the supply of components for the PES construction effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That matters because Colombia is not starting from a blank page. It is combining foreign engineering support with local construction, a middle path that can reduce risk while still building domestic know-how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damen has described the project as an investment in local employment and technological development for Colombia\u2019s maritime industry. At the end of the day, what it is trying to do is turn a defense acquisition into an industrial learning curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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