Brazilian offshore patrol vessel Apa

For other ships with the same name, see Brazilian ship Apa.

Apa on 7 May 2013
History
Brazil
Name	Apa
Namesake	Apa River
Builder	BAE Systems, Glasgow
Launched	15 July 2010
Commissioned	30 November 2012
Renamed	from Scarborough
Homeport	Rio de Janeiro
Identification	IMO number: 9526409 MMSI number: 710494000 Callsign: PWAP Pennant number: P-121
Status	Active
General characteristics
Type	Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessel
Displacement	2,000 t (2,000 long tons; 2,200 short tons)[1]
Length	90.5 m (296 ft 11 in)[1]
Beam	13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)[1]
Propulsion	2 × MAN 16V28/33D diesel engines, 14,700 kW (19,713 hp), 2 shafts 2 × controllable-pitch propellers
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)[1]
Range	5,500 nmi (10,200 km)[1]
Endurance	35 days[1]
Complement	80
Sensors and processing systems	Terma Scanter 4100, X-band Ultra Electronics OSIRIS CMS[2]
Armament	1 × 30 mm DS30M cannon 2 × 25 mm guns 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aviation facilities	20 m (66 ft) flight deck[1]

Apa (P-121) is a Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessel currently operated by the Brazilian Navy. She was originally named Scarborough (CG51) while she was being built for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

Background

Main article: Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessel

The Amazonas class were originally named as the Port of Spain class and built for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. Then, despite two of the vessels having been completed at the time and awaiting delivery, and with crew training ongoing in the United Kingdom,[3] the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) cancelled the order in September 2010.[4]

In December 2011 it was reported that the Brazilian Navy were interested in buying the vessels, and possibly up to five additional vessels of the same design.[5]

Construction and career

Scarborough was built by BAE Systems Maritime in Glasgow and launched on 15 July 2010. The ship was sold to the Brazilian Navy and renamed Apa (P-121). She was commissioned on 30 November 2012.

In October 2023, Apa took part in the MINEX-23 exercise off the coast of Salvador. She had a control station setup on board, which allowed her to act as a 'mothership' for an experimental Brazilian Navy USV tasked with minesweeper duties.[6][7][8]

In April 2024 the ship left Rio de Janeiro to take part in operations Guinex-IV and Obangame Express 2024, involving joint counter-piracy patrols and exercises with West African countries in the Gulf of Guinea.[9]

Gallery

• 
  Scarborough underway on 13 February 2010
• 
• 
  Apa underway on 24 May 2013.
• 
• 
• 
  Apa underway on 20 February 2017.
• 
  Apa sails alongside the VSNT-Lab USV during MINEX-23
• 
  The VSNT-Lab USV.

References

1. "Offshore Patrol Vessels". www.baesystems.com. BAE Systems. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
2. "Command & Control Systems". www.ultra-ccs.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
3. "BAE may lose £150m ship deal". The News. 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
4. "BAE Systems sells patrol vessels to Brazil". BBC News. 2 January 2012.
5. "Brazil could buy the 3 BAE System's OPV that were canceled by Trinidad and Tobago". Retrieved 14 December 2011.
6. "30/10/23 - MINEX-23 é encerrada após uma semana de atividades operativas" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Navy. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
7. Luiz Padilha (18 October 2023). "Marinha realiza Operação MINEX em Salvador" (in Portuguese). Defesa Aérea e Naval. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
8. João Paulo Moralez (6 November 2023). "A vez dos veículos não tripulados para a Marinha do Brasil" (in Portuguese). Tecnologia & Defesa. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
9. Guilherme Wiltgen (14 April 2024). "NPaOc 'Apa' vai realizar as operações Guinex-IV e Obangame Express na Costa da África" (in Portuguese). Defesa Aérea e Naval. Retrieved 21 April 2024.