COTECMAR, Colombia’s state-owned naval shipyard, has officially delivered an Ocean Patrol Vessel to the Colombian Navy, advancing a shipbuilding program that has been underway since 2016. The delivery of the ARC 24 de Julio represents the first time the navy has inducted a warship of this size and complexity that was fully designed and assembled within the country.
The vessel’s construction started in March 2023 and concluded after nearly two years, involving the use of more than 1,070 tons of steel. Following its launch in July 2025, the ship completed a six-month period of sea trials, field testing, and final outfitting prior to its handover. The program also strengthened Colombia’s maritime industrial base, creating more than 1,100 direct jobs and supporting an additional 2,200 positions across a supplier network of 343 companies.
The ARC 24 de Julio is 93 meters long and 14 meters wide and includes a flight deck designed to operate medium-sized maritime helicopters. Its mission profile includes extended patrol, maritime surveillance, interdiction, and search and rescue operations, particularly in Colombia’s Caribbean and Pacific maritime zones.
Although specific details regarding propulsion and performance have not been released, the new patrol vessel is expected to enhance fleet operations under Colombia’s PF2030 naval modernization strategy. That long-term plan also encompasses the local construction of Sigma-class frigates in cooperation with Dutch shipyard Damen, with the first frigate scheduled for delivery by the end of the decade.
