Baltic Workboats, an Estonian shipbuilder based on Saaremaa, has moved the €95M EUROGUARD warship platform from design into production at its Nasva yard.
The hull of the 45-metre semi-autonomous prototype has been completed, while the full test platform is scheduled for completion in 2027, Tööstusuudised reports. Baltic Workboats leads the international consortium and is building the vessel in Estonia, giving the company a direct role in developing a new platform for European naval fleets.
EUROGUARD has a €95M budget, including €65M from the European Defence Fund and €30M from participating countries and companies. The programme brings together 28 organisations from ten European countries across shipbuilding, autonomous systems, sensors, communications and defence research.
Warship prototype built for modular missions
The aluminium vessel is designed as a modular surface platform that can be reconfigured for different assignments. Planned roles include maritime surveillance, mine countermeasures, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, seabed monitoring, critical-infrastructure protection, search and rescue, and the deployment and control of unmanned systems.
The design measures 45 metres long and 9.4 metres wide, with a maximum draught of three metres. Baltic Workboats lists a minimum speed of 20 knots, a range of at least 2,000 nautical miles, endurance of ten days at sea and payload capacity of up to 100 tonnes. A hybrid propulsion system is planned alongside autonomous navigation, obstacle and threat detection, collision avoidance, sensor fusion, secure communications and remote-control capabilities.
European systems integrated at Nasva
Major construction and integration work is taking place at Baltic Workboats’ Nasva shipyard. The prototype will be tested and validated with the Estonian Navy, allowing technologies from consortium partners to be combined on a full-scale vessel and assessed in operational conditions.
The project passed its Critical Design Review in May, when the hull was presented at Nasva. “The Critical Design Review confirms that the EUROGUARD system is moving from design to operational reality,” project coordinator Martin Laur said in a company statement. “It reflects strong European cooperation in delivering next-generation maritime defence capabilities.”
The consortium includes major European maritime and defence companies such as Damen, Kongsberg Maritime, Leonardo, Naval Group, Navantia, Safran and Thales, alongside research organisations and universities. Baltic Workboats coordinates the programme as well as constructing the prototype.
Baltic Workboats targets European naval market
Baltic Workboats has traditionally built workboats, patrol vessels and passenger craft, exporting more than 90% of its production. The EUROGUARD assignment moves the Nasva yard further into the European naval-development supply chain and gives the company a full-scale reference platform for modular and semi-autonomous military vessels.
The shipbuilder has operated at Nasva for 25 years, built nearly 300 vessels and employs more than 200 people, according to ERR. Its work on EUROGUARD adds defence systems integration to an Estonian maritime export base that already supplies shipbuilding, vessel-conversion and marine-technology customers internationally. More than 500 Estonian maritime companies export their products and services.
EUROGUARD platform due for completion in 2027
Construction will continue with outfitting, systems integration and testing. The completed prototype is intended to validate both the vessel architecture and operating concepts for modular, remotely controlled and semi-autonomous naval missions. Sea trials and validation will be conducted in cooperation with the Estonian Navy, with the programme scheduled to conclude in 2027.
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