Qatar procures two Fast Attack Craft vessels from Turkish shipyard Dearsan

The preliminary design phase is underway, with plans to progress to the critical design phase within eight months, the business development manager of Dearsan said.

Qatar’s Ministry of Defence marked the procurement of two Fast Attack Craft (FAC) 50 ships destined for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces in a newly signed contract with Turkish shipyard Dearsan on Tuesday at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX).

The signing ceremony was attended by Major General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Sulaiti, Commander of the Qatar Navy, Haluk Gorgun, Head President of the Turkish Defence Agency (SSB), and Aziz Yildirim, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

These vessels are crafted for a spectrum of missions, ranging from Asymmetric Warfare and Patrol Missions to Anti-Piracy and Disaster Relief Operations, according to a LinkedIn post by Dearsan. The High-Speed Fast Patrol Boat will be equipped with weapon systems tailored for Surface Warfare, Air Defence Warfare, and Asymmetric Warfare.

New contract from DEARSAN!
On March 5, 2024, during the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition, a contract signature ceremony was held between the Qatari Emiri Navy and Dearsan Shipyard within the scope of design and build project of 2 units of 50-meter Fast Attack Craft. pic.twitter.com/lHCALBEvsj
— Dearsan Shipyard (@DearsanShipyard) March 5, 2024

The project’s inception began four years ago and has now culminated in the signing stage, Erkan Yeniçeri, Business Development Manager of Dearsan, told Naval News.

Yeniçeri said that the preliminary design phase is underway, with plans to progress to the critical design phase within eight months.

“The construction will commence 8 months from today. The first delivery is scheduled 36 months after the start, and the second delivery will be completed after 42 months,” Yeniçeri confirmed.

Yeniçeri also emphasised that upon completion, initial sea trials will be conducted in Turkey, followed by a second set of trials in Qatar before the official delivery.

DIMDEX 2024

Staged at the Qatar National Convention Centre, a range of international participating pavilions have showcased their latest maritime defence wares, including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, France, Germany and the United States.

A further 200 companies are taking part as well as the Qatari Armed Forces, the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, Qatar Emiri Air Forces, Qatar Amiri Air Defence Forces and, for the first time, the Qatar Emiri Land Forces.

Since its inception in 2008, Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi Saleh Al Ansari, the chairman of DIMDEX, remarked that the conference “continues to attract the most important and prominent international, and Qatari, defence organisations, further demonstrating its leading global position”.