Denmark reveals contract for marine environment and mine-laying vessels

The Danish Ministry of Defence’s Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) has revealed signing of a contract for the construction of new marine environment and minelaying vessels.

The contract, signed earlier this year, forms a key part of Denmark’s plans to upgrade its naval fleet and enhance maritime preparedness.

According to a release from the Ministry of Defence on 1 July, the vessels will be delivered by Konsortiet Orlogsskibe Danmark, a consortium comprising OSK Design, Karstensens Skibsværft, and Hvide Sande Shipyard.

The first significant milestone in the construction process took place on 10 June 2026, with the steel cutting for the initial ship hull at Karstens Shipyard’s facility in Gdansk, Poland.

The hull construction is scheduled to last about one year before being transported to Hvide Sande for further outfitting. Construction of the next vessel’s hull is planned to start after the completion of the first.

The acquisition of the new vessels is part of a broader naval development initiative laid out in a political partial agreement within the current defence settlement.

The ships are intended to replace older units and address a range of functions, including marine environmental preparedness, minelaying, water surveillance, and support for sovereignty tasks.

FMI fleet programme head Flotilla Admiral Claus Lundholm Andersen said: “I am pleased to sign this agreement. With the acquisition of the new vessels, the Navy will be provided with modern capabilities for marine environmental preparedness.

“With new vessels, tasks that fall under the marine environment area can be handled efficiently and in accordance with the conventions that Denmark is covered by.”

The vessels procured by FMI will be operated by the Danish Navy, while responsibility for the marine environment task falls under the Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.

Operational commissioning for these new ships is expected to begin at the turn of 2029.

This order for new multi-role environmental and minelaying vessels follows an agreement in April 2025 between the Danish Government and several political parties to allocate DKr4bn ($609m) for fleet expansion.

The overall plan includes four specialised marine environment and minelaying vessels, as well as 21 additional ships for the Home Guard.

Denmark’s defence budget for 2025 stands at $14.8bn, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.5% from 2021 to 2025, according to GlobalData.

The analytics firm projects that from 2026 to 2030, defence spending will increase to $24.8bn, with a projected CAGR of 11.1%.

Acquisition is anticipated to represent 48.9% of total defence expenditure in 2030, with an expected CAGR of 3.3% for this category from 2026 to 2030.