Lithuanian Navy Orders Damen OPV 6711 for SAR Operations

The Lithuanian Navy has formalized a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of a dedicated Pollution Incident Response and Search and Rescue (SAR) vessel. Based on the proven Damen Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 6711 platform, the acquisition was facilitated through public procurement managed by the Environmental Projects Management Agency under the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment.

The vessel is intended to replace an existing unit in the Lithuanian fleet, marking a strategic shift toward more versatile, multi-mission assets. The integration of the OPV 6711 allows for the consolidation of pollution control, fire-fighting, and maritime security duties into a single hull.

Strategic Fleet Rationalization

The procurement signifies a move toward high-specification, dual-purpose platforms for regional navies. By selecting a vessel equipped with FiFi 1 firefighting capabilities and DP1 dynamic positioning, the Lithuanian Navy is prioritizing operational flexibility over specialized, single-task hulls. For Baltic littoral states, this shift reflects an increasing need to maintain persistent maritime presence while simultaneously fulfilling environmental and emergency response mandates without inflating the total number of ships in the fleet.

The contract signing, held in Vilnius on 29 October 2026, involved high-level representation from the Ministries of National Defence and Environment, underscoring the inter-agency priority placed on maritime safety and environmental protection infrastructure. The new vessel will be central to Lithuania’s maritime domain awareness and emergency response architecture in the Baltic.