Defense Media Network

Royal Bahamas Defense Force Receives Last of Four Stan Patrol 4207 Vessels

Part of a package of nine vessels, training, spares, and facility upgrades and construction

By Chuck Oldham (Editor) - April 1, 2015

The Damen Stan 4207 patrol boat Rolly Gray, recently delivered to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. Damen Stan image

The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) has received HMBS Rolly Gray, its fourth and last Stan Patrol 4207 vessel, according to a Damen Stan press release. The first of the vessels, HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna, arrived from the Netherlands in May 2014. HMBS Durward Knowles followed in July 2014, and HMBS Leon Livingstone Smith was delivered in September 2014. The Stan Patrol 4207s carry a 24-person crew, at speeds up to 20 knots, with a range in excess of 2000 nautical miles. Along with onboard weapon systems, each carries two RHIBS for fast interception and boarding.

In addition to the Damen Stan Lander 5612, now under construction in Vietnam, and the four Damen Stan 4207s already delivered, four Damen Stan “Sea Axe” Patrol 3007 vessels will also be part of the project.

The four vessels are part of the Bahamas’ Sandy Bottom project, which includes acquiring a fleet of nine patrol and support vessels, upgrading the naval base at Coral Harbour, and construction of two new facilities elsewhere in the Bahamas. The design, engineering, dredging and construction of the three ports for the RBDF includes the deepening of access channels, construction of quay walls, breakwaters, jetties, moorings, and facings, and is being undertaken by the Dutch civil engineering company Van Oord.

Maintenance training for Bahamian naval personnel, as well as spares, are a part of the acquisition of the vessels. The complete nine vessel fleet will include a Damen Stan Lander 5612 roll-on/roll-off landing craft equipped with a 25-ton crane and deployable containers outfitted with medical facilities, desalination plants, and other disaster relief equipment. In addition to the Damen Stan Lander 5612, now under construction in Vietnam, and the four Damen Stan 4207s already delivered, four Damen Stan “Sea Axe” Patrol 3007 vessels will also be part of the project. The 3007s, the first of which is nearing completion, will conduct law enforcement and search and rescue missions. All vessels are expected to be delivered by the summer of 2016, according to the release.