The French group Naval Group, which recently came to show its most modern frigate to the Navy and the Portuguese State, is available to invest in Arsenal do Alfeite, in Almada, simultaneously investing in the Portuguese maintenance industry. An investment that would involve the creation of a new company, to be jointly owned by Naval Group and Arsenal do Alfeite, naval shipyards that were incorporated in 2009, and which provide ship maintenance services to the Navy. And that would be a counterpart to the sale of frigates to the Portuguese Navy.
The French company is committed to investing the necessary amounts, estimated at tens of millions of euros, to create a naval industrial hub in Alfeite, which has been in crisis for many years, losing specialized personnel and lacking the capacity to respond to the needs of the Portuguese Navy. Naval Group also guarantees that 20% of the investment in frigates will be returned to the national economy throughout the useful life of the frigates”, reads a statement sent to Expresso. The group’s president assumed the capacity to deliver three frigates to Portugal by 2030, while European financing is in force.
Pierre-Eric Pommellet, executive president of Naval Group, at Cais de Alcântara, next to the frigate “Amiral Ronarc’h”
The investment proposed by Naval Group “includes the modernization of Alfeite Arsenal’s infrastructure, equipment and industrial capabilities, enabling maintenance and upgrade operations” for both current and future naval units.
And the objective would be to reinforce “Portugal’s naval industrial capabilities and long-term support for the Portuguese Navy”, assures the group led by Pierre-Eric Pommellet.
This new joint company, explains Naval Group, would “manage and execute all future maintenance contracts for the Portuguese Navy”. It also argues that this initiative’s mission is to “directly contribute to Portugal’s sovereignty, strategic autonomy and the consolidation of a sustainable naval industrial ecosystem”, transforming “Arsenal do Alfeite into a competitive and modern industrial center for maintenance activities”.
The group is competing with the Italians Fincantieri the sale of frigates to the Portuguese navy, as Expresso wrote in this edition. The acquisition of two or three new frigates will cost between €2 billion and €3 billion, considering the price paid by other countries. It is the biggest deal in the Defense sector since the decision to buy two German submarines for around one billion, 20 years ago.
The partnership with Naval, says the French group, would create more jobs for Arsenal do Alfeite, but also for other Portuguese companies in the maintenance area. “Naval Group will guarantee a structured transfer of know-how, based on decades of experience in supporting the French Navy and numerous international fleets,” says the company. And he points as an example to the development of underwater facilities in Brazil, where he has investments.