Offshore Patrol Vessels: Middle East Requirements and Trends Report 2016

The Middle East is one of the most active regions for investment in military equipment and capabilities. The acquisition of offshore patrol vessels and corvettes tends to dominate naval requirements in the Middle East and North Africa, which is the result of increased maritime threats from piracy, illegal mining, search and rescue, human trafficking, offshore resources protection and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) patrol.

Saudi Arabia in particular is seeking to bolster its naval forces with a complete overhaul of its Eastern Fleet. The modenisation efforts - known as the Saudi Naval Expansion Programme II (SNEP 2) and reportedly worth around $16 billion – will see the Kingdom significantly upgrade its current fleet with new patrol vessels, maritime patrol aircraft, and UAVs. Bahrain is also seeking to boost its naval presence with modernising and acquiring new corvettes while Turkey, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar are all actively investing in their offshore patrol capabilities.

This report is divided into three distinct sections: a detailed overview of all the known OPV programmes requirements in the region; a full list of known OPV and warship holdings in Middle Eastern military inventories; and an analysis of Middle Eastern data from Defence IQ’s global market survey, identifying trends and requirements specific to the region.

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