Damen Shipyards Group and idD Portugal Defence have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to boost collaboration in shipbuilding and further integrate Portuguese industry into the global naval value chain.
The move sees Damen and idD Portugal Defence working together to identify synergies to support the development of a sustainable maritime sector in Portugal. The two parties undertake to share knowledge related to shipbuilding and maritime technologies and to further integrate Portuguese suppliers into Damen’s supply chain.
The inking of the LOI took place at an Industry Day hosted at Damen’s headquarters in Gorinchem, the Netherlands. The Industry Day follows a similar, earlier event held in Portugal. During the event, numerous Portuguese maritime and defence sector businesses, together with governmental agencies, came together to share knowledge and start developing the cooperation.
The delegation included Carlos Félix, Head of the Board at idD, Daniel Vultos, Board member at idD, Susana Duarte, Marketing and Communications at idD, José Neves, Head of the Board at AED, Raúl Lourenço, Defence Manager at AED, Miguel Porfírio of AICEP, Defence attaché Captain Sérgio Silva Pinto, and Commander Nelson Morais of the Portuguese Navy.
The LOI builds on an existing, strong relationship between Damen, industry and the Portuguese authorities and industry. An example of this cooperation is the recently commenced construction of a Multi Purpose Vessel (MPV) for the Portuguese Navy, following Damen’s successful participation in a tender process last year.
The project is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) that is part of NextGeneration EU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic).
