LIMA, Peru - The latest river patrol vessel for the Peruvian Navy is in the final stages of construction at the naval shipyard, SIMA Iquitos.
The BAP Castilla is the second vessel in the 350-ton Clavero class. It was launched in June 2013.
The Clavero class patrol boats were domestically designed by SIMA to fulfill the Navy's requirement for a surveillance and reconnaissance vessel. The service needed a ship with a minimal draft to serve in the Amazon basin and allow for operations along the Putumayo River during the dry season.
The first-in-class, the BAP Clavero, was commissioned in April 2010, but suffered a fire on its initial deployment only a month later. Plans call for a total of four of the class to be built.
