The Minister of Defense of the French Republic, Catherine Vautrin, was welcomed on Thursday at the Salamis Shipyards.
She was accompanied by the French Ambassador to Greece, Laurence Auer, the CEO of Naval Group, Pierre-Eric Pommellet, as well as other distinguished guests.
During the visit, the officials had the opportunity to see the shipyard facilities, as well as the ongoing work on the pre-equipped sections (Blocks) that have been manufactured at the Salamis Shipyards since 2023 for the hulls of the Belharra Frigates of the FDI program of the Greek and French Navies, within the framework of the collaboration with Naval Group as an authorized subcontractor in its international supply chain.
The Salamis Shipyards have already manufactured and delivered the pre-equipped sections (Blocks) for the third Greek frigate “Formion” which is in the final stage of construction, for the second FDI frigate of the French program, while they recently delivered pre-equipped sections (Blocks) for the third French frigate before their contractually agreed delivery time.
The pre-equipped sections (Blocks) manufactured by Salamis Shipyards are a typical example of the successful transfer of specialized knowledge and technology from abroad to Greece and demonstrate the capabilities they have in the integrated construction of such frigates in Greece.
In this excellent framework of multi-year cooperation and knowledge transfer between the two Companies, the Follow-on-Support (FoS) Agreement with Naval Group was signed in November 2024 at Euronaval/Paris for a period of six years, which concerns both the frigates of the Hellenic Navy, but also those of the French National Navy (Marine Nationale).
The expansion of Salamis Shipyards’ assignments adds to the ever-growing history of successful projects and programs delivered on schedule and within budget, always maintaining the high quality standards required by such state-of-the-art warships intended for national defense.
According to Salamis Shipyards, the visit of Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin, as well as her predecessors, underlines the important position of Salamis Shipyards in the domestic defense industry and highlights their important role in the development of shipbuilding cooperation, know-how and construction in Greece.
As stated by the CEO of Salamis Shipyards, Dr. George Koros, “it is truly a special honor for us to have the visit of the esteemed Minister of Defense of France, Ms. Vautrin, to our facilities, a fact that highlights the technologically advanced projects undertaken by Salamis Shipyards in the defense sector, as well as the capabilities and role they play in the development of the National Defense Shipbuilding Industry. The stable trust and very successful cooperation with important foreign companies, such as the long-term relationship that has been developed with Naval Group, highlight and promote the strategic planning and important future role of Salamis Shipyards.”
Salamis Shipyards belong to a “specialized” and rare category of shipyards (niche market), with high specialization in complex and high added value projects that require high know-how and an overall culture of quality.
They are currently implementing a significant investment program, which will significantly strengthen and further upgrade their production capabilities, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of shipbuilding innovation.
These investments aim to support future projects of even greater complexity and strategic importance, as well as integrated shipbuilding products (ships) for the Commercial and Defense Sector.
The recent signing of a cooperation MOU with ACT Infraport Ltd, for the development of a modern and competitive shipbuilding unit in Gujarat, India, is also part of the important actions undertaken by Salamis Shipyards.
Salamis Shipyards is a specially designed, modern and flexible shipbuilding unit, which has been active internationally in new constructions and specialized projects for over 50 years with a vision to respond in the most reliable way to the requirements of the shipbuilding challenges of the 21st century.
Source: naftemporiki.gr