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Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing Officiates at the Launch Ceremony of the Singapore Navy’s First Offshore Patrol Vessel
2 October 2026
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing officiated at the launch ceremony of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)’s first Sentinel-class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), Sentinel, at the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Germany, on 1 October 2026.
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing officiated at the launch ceremony of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)’s first Sentinel-class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), Sentinel, at the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Germany, on 1 October 2026. German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, Chief of German Navy Vice Admiral Wilhelm Tobias Abry, the RSN's Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Sean Wat, leaders of the surrounding German municipalities, and senior defence officials from both countries attended the launch ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Chan highlighted that, “this project is not just a buyer-seller relationship. We are not here just to buy the ship, a boat, from the German industry. This project is also a symbol of the kind of deep relationship that we have between the two navies and between our two countries.” He added that “a ship is built in a couple of years, but the ship will stay with us for a couple of decades, and throughout the couple of decades, it is that constant interaction between the people and the navies that makes this special,” illustrating the longevity of exchanges between Singapore and Germany. He also emphasised, “We see Germany as a trusted partner in these turbulent times… the more turbulent the world is, the more we need trusted partners whom we can rely upon to deliver in good times and tough times.”
In addition, Minister Chan emphasised that the OPV represented the Singapore Armed Forces’ constant striving to be ready for threats of the future. Referring to the OPV he said, “[it] is an example of that commitment to build a ship that is best in its class for today's needs, but always with the potential to add new capabilities that will allow us to plug and play, and to meet new and emerging threats.”
Sentinel is the first of four OPVs, which are Singapore Government Vessels purpose-built to meet the increased demands and wider scope of maritime security operations. The OPVs are equipped with calibrated capabilities, enabling them to respond to a range of maritime incidents in a measured and proportionate manner. Inheriting the missions of the Sentinel-class Maritime Security and Response Vessels (MSRVs), the OPVs provide flexibility to fulfil maritime security operations and protect Singapore’s territorial waters. They will interoperate with vessels from other government agencies such as the Police Coast Guard and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore for a range of maritime security missions. Following the launch, Sentinel will undergo a series of platform acceptance and sea trials to validate the ship’s systems and performance prior to departure for Singapore. The remaining three OPVs are under construction.
The launch of Sentinel is testament to the strong and substantive defence ties between Singapore and Germany. Bilateral defence relations have strengthened with the signing of the enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (eDCA) in 2018. The eDCA underpins bilateral defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as in submarine training, defence technology, and cyber defence. Both defence establishments also cooperate and interact widely through high-level visits and dialogues, military exchanges, cross-attendance of professional courses, and technology collaboration.
More Resources
Fact Sheet: Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs)