Naval vessel donated by Türkiye, largest addition to Coastgaurd fleet, handed over

The naval vessel, a Dogan-class fast attack craft, donated to the Maldives by Türkiye to strengthen Maldives’ maritime defense infrastructure, has officially been handed over to Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and subsequently commissioned.

The naval vessel has been named ‘Dharumavantha’ and its commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Shinan.

The handover ceremony held on Friday night at Hulhumale’ MPL area was graced by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon, Chief of Defense Force Ibrahim Hilmy and senior officers from the Turkish Navy.

Speaking during the ceremony, Defense Minister Ghassan said tonight marked a step forward in strengthening MNDF’s capacity.

He underscored the advancements achieved by the Coastguard since its inception on January 8, 1980, and extended his gratitude to everyone who had worked towards this goal.

Chief of Defense Force Hilmy, who also spoke at the ceremony, said the handover is evidence that President Muizzu is fulfilling his pledge to strengthen the Maldives’ military.

He underscored that the Türkiye-donated vessel marked the largest addition to Coastguard’s fleet and would increase its capabilities by dozens.

Both Hilmy and Ghassan extended gratitude to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish government and the military for the donation.

Details of the naval vessel:

TCG Volkan (P-343), a Dogan-class fast attack craft

TCG Volkan (P-343) was commissioned into the Turkish Navy in May 1981. Upon turning 43 years in 2024, it was reclassified as a test and training vessel.

The Dogan-class, developed by the German shipbuilder Lürssen Werft, represented a major advancement in Türkiye’s naval strength during the late 20th century, notably as the first class to feature Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Specifications

Length: 58.1 meters

Beam: 7.62 meters

Draft: 2.74 meters

Speed: Up to 38 knots (70 km/h)

Range: 1,050 nautical miles (1,940 km)

Displacement: 436 tons full load

Propulsion: 4 x MTU diesel engines producing 12,000 horsepower

Crew: 45 personnel

Combat systems and sensors

• Two Harpoon anti-ship missiles (expandable to four)
• One 76mm Oto Melara naval gun
• One 35mm twin-barrel air defense gun
• Two 7.62mm machine guns
• VM-28/41 radar, LIOD Mk-2 fire control radar, decoy launchers

TCG Volkan has undergone maintenance and repairs at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command as part of transfer preparations.

According to MNDF, the naval vessel will be operated and maintained by Maldivian soldiers.