The Norwegian government said on August 31 that it had chosen Britain as its strategic partner to purchase at least five new escort ships, according to Reuters and BBC. The deal was worth around £10 billion ($963 billion) to enhance Norway’s maritime defence capabilities. The defence ministry said the deal involving 26 escort ships would become Britain’s “most valuable ship export deal ever”, while Norway said it would be Norway’s largest “defence capability investment” to date.
"Frigates are an important part of our defense capabilities because they are the key to defending our sovereignty," Norway Prime Minister Steller said at a news conference. Norway is a member of NATO and is responsible for monitoring missions in nearly 2 million square kilometers of the North Atlantic. Nuclear submarines of the Russian Northern Fleet are active there.
British Prime Minister Starmer welcomed the £ 10 bn deal. The agreement will ultimately enable a combined fleet of 13 anti-submarine frigates-eight British and at least five Norwegian-operating jointly in Northern Europe, he added.
The 26 escort ships purchased by the Norwegian Navy will be as common as possible with similar escort ships of the United Kingdom and have the same technical specifications.They are designed to detect and track enemy submarines and fight with them if necessary, and are expected to begin delivery by 2030.
Since November 2024, the Norwegian government has begun to select a country from France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for the purchase of new patrol ships.