On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the Șantierul Naval Galați shipyard in Galați on the Danube, owned by the Dutch company Damen Shipyards, the launching took place of the PMN (Plataforma Naval Multifuncional) multirole vessel with a flush flight deck, which will be named NRP Don João II (A5208). The vessel, built to the MPV 10720 design, is intended for the Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa).
Photos: Damen Shipyards
The launching ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Fernando Jorge Pires, representing the Portuguese Navy, Rear Admiral Marcel Neculae, representing the Romanian Navy (Forţele Navale Române), H.E. Paulo Alves Cunha, Ambassador of Portugal to Romania, and H.E. Willemijn van Haaften, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Romania.
As Bram Langeveld, Commercial Director of Damen Shipyards, stated:
“Given Portugal’s vast coastline, this ship is a valuable addition to both the Portuguese navy and European maritime operations. It will support maritime security, scientific research, and disaster relief efforts. The MPV 10720 is the result of the Portuguese Navy’s forward-thinking and innovative approach to meeting modern naval requirements. Damen has greatly valued the navy’s clear vision and constructive partnership, which has enabled efficient construction within a short timeframe.”
The contract for the design, construction, and outfitting of the vessel was signed on November 24, 2023, at the Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha) in Lisbon and was worth 132 million EUR, of which 37.5 million EUR came from EU funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), part of NextGenerationEU, the economic recovery package intended to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, steel cutting and keel laying took place on October 3, 2024.
Damen Shipyards Group developed the design for the multirole vessel with a flush flight deck, measuring 107.6 m in length, of which 94 m is the length of the deck, and 20 m in beam, of which 11 m is the deck width, based on the specific requirements of the Portuguese Navy. The resulting design is a truly multirole platform whose primary tasks will include oceanographic research, maritime search and rescue, and emergency response, as well as maritime security and support operations. To fulfill these roles, the vessel will carry uncrewed aerial vehicles and helicopters. Its permanent crew is to consist of 48 officers and sailors, with an additional 45 scientific personnel.
For the purposes of oceanographic research and maritime domain monitoring, the vessel will be equipped with laboratories and facilities for scientific personnel. As for maritime support, the ship will feature a number of design elements enabling such operations. These include a stern ramp for uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). The original plan also called for a 94 x 11 meter flush flight deck with a ski-jump and hangars for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Beneath the flight deck there will be a 650 sq m cargo deck capable of accommodating, for example, 12 TEU containers. The preliminary design was presented on February 14, 2023, but was later modified, with the vessel slightly enlarged and the ski-jump removed.
The vessel will be named in honor of the Portuguese king John II the Perfect, also known as the Perfect Prince, who ruled from 1481 to 1495. It was originally scheduled to be delivered to the customer in the second half of 2026, but current plans call for sea trials to begin this year, so delivery may be delayed.
As for the modernization of Portugal’s naval forces, on November 14, 2025, a steel-cutting ceremony was held at the Turkish shipyard Ada Denizcilik ve Tersane İşletmeleri A.Ş. in Tuzla, a district of Istanbul, for the construction of the first of two logistics vessels under the NRE+ (Navio Reabastecedor de Esquadra e Logístico) program.
