On Wednesday 13, 2024 Anonymous commented:
“It looks increasingly likely that Naval has
indeed won this contract. Multiple Dutch news services announced it overnight
Australian time.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/03/netherlands-to-order-four-new-submarines-from-french-shipbuilder/
The official announcement is stated to occur
this Friday [March 15, which will be Saturday, March 16 in Australia, but
evidently losing tenderers are informally notified in advance.”
ARTICLE
That excellent Dutch News article of March 12,
2024reports: lhttps://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/03/netherlands-to-order-four-new-submarines-from-french-shipbuilder/
“Netherlands to order four new submarines from
French shipbuilder”
The Dutch government is expected to announce an order this week for four submarines from French shipbuilder Naval Group, sources have told RTL News.
[Naval Group] The Paris-based company, which is 62.5% owned
by the French state, saw off competition from Swedish firm Saab and Germany’s
TKMS to build the vessels at a total cost of around €4 billion.
They will replace the Walrus-class submarines
which have been in service since 1990. As much as 40% of the work will be
carried out in the Netherlands, RTL reported.
The order is politically sensitive because
Saab, one of the losing bidders, has a partnership with Dutch shipyard Damen.
Parliament is due to debate the deal next Monday, once the council of ministers
has signed it off on Friday.
Two weeks ago the cabinet ordered four newfrigates from Damen under a contract worth at least €2.5 billion. Arming the vessels will cost
another €2.5 billion, making it the biggest maritime order ever placed with a
Dutch manufacturer.
Pete Comment
If true, this is bad news for Saab, long expected to be the winner. Saab has desperately needed foreign orders since Saab lost Singapore’s
Invincible-class tender to TKMS in 2013.
Anonymous on March 11, 2024 provided estimated specs of the possible winning French submarine:
“…in past articles and YouTube interviews, 2 or 3 years ago, it was mentioned that the French submarine for The Netherlands submarine replacement will have a displacement of 3,000 tonnes [surfaced or submerged?], a length of 80 meters and a smaller diameter (8 meters?) than the 5000 tonne Suffren Class (and Attack class).”