What is a patrol vessel
All countries wish to control their jurisdictional waters in order to defend their territory against daily-changing threats, such as international terrorism, illegal weapons proliferation, drug dealing and human trafficking. Maritime traffic control, whether by inspecting ships or defending them against piracy, is a key activity for the economic activity of any country.
In addition, many navies of the world also have under their responsibility the carry out of campaigns of oceanic research, protection of the underwater historical heritage and defense of the fishery resources.
So, these ships must face very different missions, both in waters close to the national territory, and in international missions; such as the Atalanta operation in the Horn of Africa or the Sofia operation in Mediterranean waters.
Due to this variety of missions to be carried out by patrol vessels, its design should guarantee long periods at sea with optimal operating conditions and reduced operation and life cycle cost; these vessels must be prepared to operate in marine pollution fight or human search and rescue missions.
Navantia has built 4 MAV units for the Spanish Navy (with two more under construction), 4 SOP (Surveillance Oceanic Patrol vessel) units and 3 CSV (Coastline Surveillance Vessel) units for the Venezuelan Navy.
