Offshore Patrol Vessels - Key tools to manage the Exclusive Economic Zone

摘要

With the international recognition of the 12 NM territorial waters and the 200 NM Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in »the third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea« (UNCLOS) in 1982 many navies and coast guard authorities were confronted with the challenge to control their country's extended influence zone. At first glance this appears as a classical task within any navy's field of duties. However, since many missions in the context of EEZ control have a quite civilian profile (e.g. search and rescue, anti-pollution and disaster reaction), the question was raised from the beginning whether it would be adequate and cost efficient to base offshore patrol on multi hundred million Dollar expensivernfrigates and corvettes only. Since those early years several countries approaches to a new class of ships, the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), could be observed. OPVs have been considered as a promising market for both naval and civilian shipbuilders as well as the electronics-, sensors- and equipment industry, however, some high expectations had to be adjusted to reality over the decades.