The Danish Defence Conciliation Circle has given the green light for the construction of five new Arctic patrol vessels, aimed at improving Denmark’s maritime surveillance and presence in waters surrounding Greenland.
The ships will be built using a distributed production approach, with components manufactured at several sites nationwide and final assembly conducted in Frederikshavn, North Jutland. The assembly facility will be owned by the Danish state and configured to support future construction of larger vessels.
This industrial strategy stems from a Deloitte-led review, which found that spreading production across multiple sites would reduce costs while increasing domestic industrial participation.
Service Entry Timeline
The patrol vessels are expected to be delivered by 2030, replacing the aging Thetis- and Knud Rasmussen-class ships that have experienced frequent mechanical problems, limiting their effectiveness in Arctic patrol and rescue missions.
Contract Still Open
A prime contractor has yet to be appointed, though reporting by DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) points to a consortium led by Danske Flådeskibe as a likely candidate.
The group—comprising Terma, Odense Maritime Technology, PensionDanmark, and Semco Maritime—previously secured DKK 490 million ($78 million) to develop patrol ship designs for the Danish Navy, later adapted for Arctic operations.
The move addresses longstanding criticism that Denmark has been slow to modernize its Arctic fleet, a concern that predates recent international scrutiny of Greenland.
