Keel laying of second multi-purpose Pohjanmaa-class corvette celebrated at Rauma shipyard
The second multi-purpose corvette in the Squadron 2020 Project had her keel laid on Thursday, 8 May, at the Rauma Shipyard. The traditional keel laying ceremony is a celebration of the start moment of the vessel’s construction – it starts the actual hull assembly phase.
The cradled keel section was lowered on building blocks in the multipurpose hall which serves as the building site for the vessel. As per tradition, lucky coins were placed under the section and will accompany the completed vessel when she leaves the shipyard. Present in the ceremony were representatives from the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, the Finnish Navy, and Saab which supplies the weapon systems, as well as from classification society Lloyd’s Register and the personnel of Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (RMC).
The production of the second corvette was started eight weeks ahead of schedule. The objective was to ensure a sufficiently long production period as well as to utilise the experiences gained with the first vessel. So far, the overall goals set for the project have been achieved as planned.
– This is strong proof of both our skilled and committed workforce and the good and functional cooperation between all the parties involved in the project, says Project Director Timo Ståhlhammar.
RMC is building a total of four multi-purpose corvettes of the Pohjanmaa class to the Finnish Navy. The vessels are designed for year-round operation in all conditions encountered in the Baltic Sea. The hull of the first vessel was completed in December 2024 and at present she is being readied for launching. The production of the second vessel began in October 2024. The employment impact of the Squadron 2020 project is about 3,600 person-years in Finland.
Investments in production capabilities
Rauma shipyard has made significant improvements in production capabilities and technological capacity over the recent years. Owing to the new investments, the shipyard can now build vessels in enclosed interior facilities protected from the elements. The facilities also meet Nato’s safety-classified requirements. Investments in steel production allow the independent production of different vessel types from now on. This enables the shipyard to build complex icebreakers as well as vessels for defence purposes and authorities to high standards and safety requirements.
Alongside the production of the corvettes, the shipyard is currently finishing the second car and passenger ferry ordered by Spirit of Tasmania. The lessons learned in the building of the sister vessel have been used to hone the processes so much so that the second vessel will be completed by the end of May.
Main data on multi-purpose corvettes:
Length: 117 m
Beam: 16.5 m
Draught: 5 m
Crew: 70
Text and photo: Rauma Marine Constructions