Finland’s Patrol Ships Slip to 2027

Shipbuilder Meyer Turku announced the timetable on October 30, as Finland’s Interior Minister Mari Rantanenchristened Valpas at the Uusikaupunki shipyard. The first vessel, Karhu, is scheduled for completion in summer 2027, followed by Valpas by year’s end.

The two ships form the largest single investment in the Finnish Border Guard’s history. They are intended to spend around 330 days a year at sea.

Timetable moves again

The delivery dates have shifted substantially since construction began. In March 2024, Meyer Turku described a contractual schedule that would complete the first ship by the end of 2025 and the second by the end of 2026.

The company’s financial results, published on April 13, 2026, already placed the deliveries in 2026 and 2027. The October announcement moves completion of the first vessel into the following year.

Finnish Border Guard chief Vice Admiral Markku Hassinen said the new ships would enter service during 2027. Modernisation also includes upgrading the operational systems of the existing patrol vessel Turva.

Rescue and pollution response

The programme combines border surveillance with capabilities that protect people and coastal waters. The original project description set out improved rescue operations and advanced systems for gathering and sharing surveillance information.

It also envisaged immediate readiness to respond to serious environmental accidents and approximately doubling the fleet’s total oil recovery capacity.