Türkiye has signed its inaugural military ship export agreement with an EU and NATO member country, with its domestic defense manufacturer STM being the main contractor to design and produce two vessels, an auxiliary oiler replenisher and logistics ship to meet the needs of the Portuguese Navy.
STM was awarded the tender, positioning itself ahead of other international competitors.
The signing ceremony of the "Replenishment and Logistics Support Ship (AOR+) Project" between Türkiye and Portugal was held in Lisbon, in attendance of top defense and naval forces officials, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Tuesday.
"We are in Lisbon for the signing ceremony of our first defense procurement project with Portugal, which includes the production of two Auxiliary Oiler Replenisher and Logistics Ships to meet the needs of the Portuguese Navy," Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) said in a post on social media platform X.
"We are delighted to be together with esteemed admirals and officers at the signing ceremony between STM and the Portuguese Naval Forces, hosted by the Commander of the Portuguese Navy, Adm. Henrique Eduardo Passalaqua de Gouveia e Melo," he added.
Thanking the admiral and his team for hosting them, Görgün said, "The trust shown in the Turkish defense industry and our national engineering power STM in our seas has both made us proud and served as a motivating factor for our work."
"For the first time, as Türkiye, we have signed a military ship export agreement with an EU and NATO member country. We consider it extremely important to develop strong defense and defense industry cooperation with our NATO allies," he noted.
As part of his remarks during the ceremony, he referred to Türkiye's endeavors, work and numerous projects in the defense sector. "The defense industry in Türkiye continues to work to meet the needs of all our security units in the most effective way, with project activities ranging from design to mass production, from R&D and innovation to industrialization, with a sector turnover exceeding $15 billion and an R&D expenditure of more than $2.5 billion," he said.
"Today, our country is one of the three leading countries in the world in UAV technology. Türkiye, one of the 10 countries in the world that produces its own warships, has now started to produce these products and also export them to friendly and allied countries," he added.
Adm. Gouveia e Melo, for his part, also said that the main reason that pushed them to partner with Türkiye was that it was a very large industry in the military field.
"There are definitely strong partnerships that can be developed between Türkiye and Portugal, not only in maritime areas but also in unmanned systems, to reach new markets and contribute to the economies of both countries, their technological sovereignty and the capacity of both countries, which are two allied countries," he stated.
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz emphasized that they successfully represent the Turkish defense industry in the world arena and noted that while they strengthen the Turkish Naval Forces Command with domestic and national platforms, they have signed various surface and submarine projects for Ukraine, Malaysia and Pakistan.
Pointing to the projects completed, Güleryüz said: "The Navy Replenishment Tanker PNS MOAWIN, which we designed for the Pakistani Navy, has been serving as a logistics support and flagship since 2018. We have built and delivered two Logistics Support Ships for the Turkish Navy. These ships are taking part in many international naval operations, including NATO."
"Today, we are proud to sign the contract for the Auxiliary Oiler Replenisher and Logistics Ships that will increase defense cooperation between Türkiye and Portugal," he remarked.
The construction of the vessels is set to begin in 2025 in Türkiye, the AA report said.
The ships will be 137 meters (449.5 feet) long, have a displacement of 11,000 tons and a maximum speed of over 18 knots while being able to stay at sea continuously for 90 days.