Vard sharpens bid for Norway’s naval programme

Vard, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, is establishing a dedicated business unit to pursue upcoming defence contracts, primarily in Norway.

According to a company statement, Roy Arne Stavik has been appointed senior vice president for governmental defence programmes, with a mandate to position Vard as a long-term partner to Norway’s defence sector.

In this role, Stavik will engage with key stakeholders to support the execution of Vard’s strategy for forthcoming defence programmes.

As part of this effort, the company will create a dedicated business unit focused on naval opportunities, particularly in Norway.

28 vessels

A central focus is the Norwegian standardised vessels programme, which envisages a fleet of up to 28 vessels to replace several existing ship classes and consolidate operations across the Royal Norwegian Navy and the coast guard.

On 30 March, Norway awarded a contract for the design and concept development of a new standardised vessel class for its armed forces. The shipbuilding phase of the programme remains to be awarded.

The contract was issued by Forsvarsmateriell, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, as part of a broader maritime procurement effort.

The assignment was awarded to a consortium comprising Salt Ship Design and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, both Norwegian suppliers specialising in ship design and defence systems.

The estimated value of the overall programme is between 38 billion Norwegian krone and 84 billion Norwegian krone.