CARTAGENA, Colombia - On February 27, 2017, a keel cutting ceremony for a new logistics vessel destined at Honduras was held at the Cotecmar facilities in Cartagena, Colombia. The construction start event was attended by General Francisco Isaías Álvarez Urbina, Joint Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Honduras and Rear Admiral Jesús Humberto Benítez Alvarado, Commander General of the Naval Force of the same country.
Cotecmar expects the ship to be completed in 11 months.
The vessel is a BAL-C, or Disembarkation and Disaster Relief Ship (BDAD), based on Cotecmar's BDA Mk-II amphibious vessel. It will be used for humanitarian missions by the Honduran armed forces. The vessels 49 meters in length, 11 meters in width, and displaces 6,257.5 tons. They can reach a speed of 8.5 knots and can maintain operates for 20 to 44 days depending on the size of the crew. They can carry up to 200 tons and include room for refrigerated food storage.
The vessel is being built under a November 2016 agreement. In addition to the BAL-C, Cotecmar is also building an offshore patrol vessel (OPV). Cotecmar's OPV-80 are used to conduct maritime interdiction, security and maritime traffic control, search and rescue, environmental control operations, and humanitarian aid missions. They can accommodate speed boats and helicopters to support in these rolls.