Rauma Marine Constructions and the Finnish Defence Forces sign a letter of intent for the construction of SQ2020 corvettes

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command have signed a letter of intent on the main principles and conditions for the construction of four corvettes for the Finnish Navy. Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, RMC, expressed satisfaction regarding the progress, while emphasizing the capacity of Rauma shipyard to construct both commercial vessels, and corvettes for the Finnish Defence Forces.

The Finnish Defence Forces announced the agreement last week and the signing took place early this week, November 2018. The parties have agreed on the price of the vessels, the timetable for the delivery, allocation of responsibilities and issues concerning risk management, amongst other things.

Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, RMC, is pleased that the letter of intent has been signed, as it represents a long-awaited decision, following detailed negotiations between the parties.

“Rauma is a traditional place for building Finnish naval ships. As a Finnish company, we are proud of the trust we have gained and that we have the honor to continue this tradition. We have also strengthened our organization in recent years and will continue to do so in order to ensure that RMC has the best and most experienced core of specialists in Europe, especially for these types of projects.”

In 2017, Rauma Marine Constructions received authorization from the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command to execute a significant share of the basic design of the multi-function corvettes. The rest of the design will be implemented after the vessels’ main equipment has been tendered and selected. The contract for the construction of the vessels will be signed in early 2019.

In further news, in October, RMC and Tallink also announced a letter of intent for a new high-speed car and passenger ferry between Helsinki and Tallinn. According to Heinimaa, the shipyard is equipped to fit several different projects simultaneously.

“Tallink’s car and passenger ship will be delivered at the end of 2021, and the construction of the corvettes will begin in 2020 and last until 2027. The commercial vessels and the corvettes are built alongside one another, but kept completely separate, not least for security reasons,” Heinimaa emphasizes.

Rauma Marine Constructions is currently seeking more employees, as the company expects to grow significantly in the coming years due to its new orders. The company aims to become a world-leading shipyard.