DCN, PARIS: Following his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergeï Stanishev has given the go-ahead for an immediate start to talks on the procurement of four Gowind corvettes. A French-Bulgarian working group has been set up to finalise the contract before the end of year.
Planned to modernise Bulgaria's naval forces, the Gowind corvettes are directly derived from the design and technological lead advances of the FREMM multi-mission frigates (future frontline warships for the French Navy).
The programme will be led by DCNS's Lorient shipyard and will involve extensive cooperation with Bulyard Shipbuilding Industry (BSI) in Varna. BSI will complete an important share of the work as part of a technology transfer, resulting in significant economic benefits for Bulgaria.
“We welcome the Bulgarian Prime Minister's decision to finalise the contract to build these four vessels for the Bulgarian Navy,” commented DCNS group Executive Vice President & COO Bernard Planchais. “This project is our first success with the Gowind new-generation corvettes.
In addition, achieving this major milestone opens up new business opportunities for this type of vessel on the expanding global market as navies around the world seek to modernise their fleets. Cooperation with Bulgaria is a key factor as we pursue development with new client countries, particularly in Eastern Europe.”
