Lisbon, Aug. 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The Ministry of Defence has stated that all maintenance work on the three frigates to be acquired from Italy will be carried out in Portugal and said it was unaware of any link between the shipbuilder Fincantieri and the Portuguese company NTG.
In response to questions from Lusa, following the controversy surrounding the acquisition of the three «FREMM EVO» frigates from Italy for around €3.9 billion, the Ministry of Defence stated on Tuesday that «the life-cycle support for the ships, their systems and weapons will be carried out entirely in Portugal, as part of the process of building national capabilities and revitalising the Alfeite Shipyard, on the south bank of the River Tagus in Lisbon, and may account for more than 85% of the total value of the vessels' maintenance».
«All maintenance of the ships will be carried out in Portugal, and only in specific cases involving proprietary technologies from third countries – as is already the case with other Navy assets – will maintenance be carried out through international partnerships between states,» adds the Ministry, headed by Nuno Melo, in the same response.
The support for the three frigates over a period of no less than 30 years, as well as «significant involvement of national companies», technology transfer and the revitalisation of the Alfeite Shipyard, were already provided for in the agreement between Portugal and Italy announced on 20 July.
In its response to Lusa, Nuno Melo's ministry now explains that «Portuguese industry will participate directly in the execution of work packages during the construction of the ships and their support vessels, with a significant direct return», but «in a manner compatible with the time constraints imposed by SAFE».
«Portugal will also participate as the recipient of technology transfer and capacity-building, particularly in high value-added technological niches, equipping it with the capabilities to increase its potential, actual capacity, and the generation of economic returns for the future», it states.
The Government also emphasises that «there will be a revitalisation of the Alfeite Shipyard, promoting in-depth and comprehensive capacity-building, through the partnership with the Italian State, and, through this, with Italian industry, to equip the shipyard with the organisation, capabilities and capacities necessary to ensure the integrated and comprehensive maintenance of the entire fleet», deferring discussion of the «economic and financial implications of this involvement» to a «later date», citing «the sensitivity of the ongoing processes».
These responses come after Nuno Melo announced that he would take legal action against the online newspaper 24Horas – as well as the leader of Chega, André Ventura, and MP Pedro Frazão – over a news report which, citing unidentified sources, claimed that the Portuguese company NTG had been representing Fincantieri (the Italian state-owned company set to build the three frigates) for several years and that it had been sidelined from the deal on the eve of the agreement being formalised, leading, according to the report, to the loss of around €90 million in commissions.
When asked by Lusa whether it was aware that NTG represented Fincantieri in Portugal, the Ministry of Defence stated that it was unaware of any relationship between the two companies and insisted that there had been no involvement by that company in this deal.
«The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any relationship between Fincantieri and Portuguese companies, whether in a representative capacity or otherwise, as there has never been any involvement by that company or any other in the frigate procurement process,» the statement reads.
The ministry further states that the configuration of these ships will be more than 95% «common to that of the Italian Navy, ensuring the necessary interchangeability», allowing for «the procurement of spare parts» and meeting «other requirements jointly with Italy, thereby minimising life-cycle costs».
Regarding the helicopters that will operate from the new frigates, the ministry states that «under no circumstances does the Navy acquire its air assets at the same time as a particular type of ship» and that this branch of the armed forces currently has five Lynx Mk95 helicopters which are expected to fulfil these roles until 2035.
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