ARES Shipyard has launched two more of the ARES 85 HERCULES Fast Patrol Boats being built for the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (ROPCG). In a statement released on 15 May, the company said: “We have increased pace these days, when the continuity of production and exports is needed the most.”
Under the agreement announced by the company on 13 November, 2018, ARES Shipyard, based in the Antalya Free Zone, will deliver a total of 14 ARES 85 HERCULES to the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard. Delivery of the first boat to Oman was announced by the company on 17 December, 2019. The four-year project has seen the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard become the first user of the ARES 85 HERCULES. The project is of particular importance, in that ARES 85 HERCULES is the first naval vessel to be exported by Turkey to Oman.
The ARES 85 HERCULES will carry out patrol activities for the protection of Oman’s territorial waters, and for the prevention of arms and drug trafficking, illegal immigration and human trafficking in the Gulf of Oman. ARES 85 HERCULES can reach speeds of 55 knots, and can provide high firepower in many different missions through its 12.7 mm remote-controlled weapon system. ARES Shipyard has equipped the ship with electro-optical sensors, X-Band radar and radio systems. Each ARES 85 HERCULES is equipped with a military-type rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) that will be used for boarding missions as well as search & rescue tasks.
The contract signed by ARES Shipyard includes also the provision of training and integrated logistic support services, for which 300-day trainings will be provided to 200 personnel of the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard by the expert engineers of ARES Shipyard. The vessels come with a 7-year warranty on the hull, and the company will also maintain a permanent team of technicians and engineers in Oman to provide repair services whenever necessary.