Yards

New Offshore Patrol Vessel Built by Meyer Turku for the Finnish Border Guard Christened

From left: Finnish Border Guard’s Marko Aheristo, Jari Tolppanen and Markku Hassinen, Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, Karhu’s sponsor Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb, Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm, Deputy Chief of the Finnish Border Guard Tom Hanén, and Meyer Turku Project Manager Kim Olin.

The construction project of two multifunctional offshore patrol vessels, ordered by the Finnish Border Guard from Meyer Turku, has progressed to the traditional naming ceremony, held during the outfitting phase. On Friday, 22 August 2025, the first vessel was christened Karhu. The christening was performed by the ship’s sponsor, Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

The ceremony took place at the Uudenkaupungin Työvene shipyard, where the vessel is being outfitted. The vessel will be delivered to the customer in 2026. Attending the event on behalf of the customer were Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and the Border Guard’s Chief, Admiral Markku Hassinen, as well as Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm, representing the shipbuilder.

Following shipbuilding tradition, the sponsor gave a speech and then performed the christening by breaking a bottle of champagne against the vessel’s hull.

“Our two-vessel project has reached a significant milestone with the christening of the first ship. Karhu is tangible proof of Meyer Turku’s ability to manage shipbuilding projects from start to finish at our partner shipyards’ facilities, while still meeting our own high quality standards. Today we celebrate the moment when the first offshore patrol vessel has taken its final shape and is becoming ready to serve the Finnish Border Guard in its versatile and demanding missions,” says Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm.

In both Finland’s and the global security environment, profound and long-lasting changes have taken place in recent years. These developments have posed new and increasingly demanding challenges for security actors, requiring them to respond to and influence new threats quickly and effectively.

The Finnish Border Guard’s performance at sea relies to a large extent on the continuous operation and readiness of multifunctional offshore patrol vessels. The new low-emission and energy-efficient offshore patrol vessels will operate at sea for about 330 days per year. The order for two multifunctional offshore patrol vessels is the largest single investment in the history of the Finnish Border Guard.

Phortos: Meyer Turku/Mediascope Productions

Source: Meyer Turku