STM signs deal to build ships for Portuguese Navy

İSTANBUL

Turkish naval defense company STM Savunma Teknolojileri will build logistics support vessels for the Portuguese Navy.

Two auxiliary oiler replenisher and logistics ships will be designed and built in Türkiye, with STM as the main contractor, the company said in a statement.

This marks the first export of military ships by Türkiye to a European Union and NATO member state.

The Portuguese Navy selected STM’s design and engineering solution as the most effective and awarded the contract to the Turkish company, the statement added.

Two ships will be designed and constructed in a private Turkish shipyard, with construction scheduled to commence in 2025, according to STM.

The contract signing ceremony was held on Dec. 17 in Lisbon.

The event was attended by Haluk Görgün, secretary of Defense Industries of Türkiye; Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, chief of staff of the Portuguese Navy; Carlos Félix, representative of the Portuguese Defense Industries Agency; and Özgür Güleryüz, general manager of STM.

Türkiye, which is one of the 10 countries in the world that manufactures its own warships, has now started to produce these products as well as export them to our friendly and allied countries, commented Görgün, speaking at the ceremony.

“While we continue to strengthen the Turkish Navy with our national platforms, we are also undertaking various surface and submarine projects for Ukraine, Malaysia, and Pakistan,” Güleryüz said.