Construction of the final Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette has begun

The Squadron 2020 programme is progressing as planned. Steel cutting for the fourth Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette has commenced, and the keel of the third vessel has been laid in accordance with naval tradition at the Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard. With these milestones, construction of all vessels included in the programme is now underway.

The keel of the third Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvette was laid at the Rauma shipyard during a ceremonial event on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, in line with the practices applied to the previous vessels in the programme. At the same time, steel cutting was initiated for the fourth and final multi-role corvette of the Squadron 2020 programme, marking the start of its production phase leading towards assembly.

Keel laying is a traditional and symbolically significant milestone, marking the tangible start of hull assembly. During the ceremony, the keel block was placed on the building supports and traditional lucky coins were positioned beneath it. Steel cutting represents the first concrete phase in the physical construction of a vessel and signifies the official commencement of production. Representatives of the Defence Forces Logistics Command, the Navy, RMC, as well as system and classification society providers attended the ceremonies.

The objective of the Squadron 2020 programme is to deliver all four Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes to the Finnish Navy by the end of this decade. Construction of the first corvette began in April 2024; the vessel was launched in May 2025 and is currently being outfitted. Construction of the second corvette commenced in October 2024, its keel was laid in May 2025, and the hull was completed at the end of December 2025. Construction of the third corvette began in August 2025, and its keel has now been laid.

Squadron 2020 is one of the Finnish Defence Forces’ strategic capability programmes. Its aim is to replace seven ageing naval vessels with four modern, ice-capable Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes. The programme strengthens Finland’s maritime defence capabilities and operational readiness in a changed security environment.

Read more about the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 project.