The corvettes are built in a closed facility at the Rauma shipyard to meet security and quality standards, including NATO requirements. “The shipyard in Rauma has made significant investments, particularly in the 2020s, in the development of its production and the capabilities of the personnel, resulting in the shipyard becoming one of the most notable builders of modern ships designed to operate in challenging conditions and especially government vessels navigating in ice,” said RMC’s CEO and President Mika Nieminen.
The project has deepened cooperation with a wide network of partners and subcontractors, a foundation of the yard’s efficiency. “We take pride in our competent personnel and the network of cooperation partners and subcontractors which is an indispensable factor of our success. RMC’s shipbuilding projects in Rauma provide wellbeing to the whole Satakunta region and more widely to Finland,” added Nieminen.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, the Finnish Navy and Lloyd’s Register. “The steel cutting of the third multi-purpose corvette is yet another important milestone towards outstanding maritime performance. The learning curve of the various parties in the building of the exceptionally demanding and complex military class vessel has been noteworthy,” said Brigadier General Engineering Juha-Matti Ylitalo, Deputy Manager of Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command.
The first corvette was launched in May 2025 and is undergoing outfitting, while the second began production in October 2024 and is now in hull assembly. The Squadron 2020 project is expected to conclude in 2029, with a direct employment impact of more than 3,600 person years in Finland.
RMC underlines that its versatility in shipbuilding, including high ice-going capacity, strengthens its export potential. In July, the company announced it had formed a consortium with Bollinger of the United States, Canadian Seaspan, and Finnish Aker Arctic to compete for US icebreaker contracts.
