Maldives commissions ex-Türkiye fast attack craft

Turkish Naval Forces Doğan-class fast attack craft-missile Volkan (P 343). (C D Yaylali)

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) commissioned the Doğan-class fast attack craft that was formerly in service as TCG Volkan on 15 August, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced via its official social media pages on the next day.

It has been gifted to the Maldives by the Turkish government, and it is now known as Dharumavantha .

Preparations for the donation began months earlier at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, where the vessel underwent maintenance and repair work.

Maldivian personnel assigned to the vessel completed training in Türkiye from April to May.

The vessel departed Türkiye on 1 July, and completed its transit to Malé on 7 August, with the Turkish flag-lowering ceremony held at this port on 10 August.

During the commissioning ceremony, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu unveiled the ship's name, signed the guest book, and observed the hoisting of the Maldivian flag alongside the naval commissioning pennant.

Muizzu expressed his gratitude for the gift, emphasising that the vessel strengthens the Maldives' ability to safeguard its maritime territory and contributes to regional security in the Indian Ocean.

Dharumavantha is equipped with an Oto Melara 76 mm/62 compact gun and a twin-barrel Oerlikon 35 mm/90 gun. However, the vessel's launchers for Harpoon missiles were not included in the donation.

Once operational, a Turkish Naval Forces technical team will assist with final preparations and conduct a two-week onboard training programme for the Maldivian crew.

For more information, please seeTürkiye donating naval vessel to Maldives .