Albanian Patrol Vessels Visit Izmir

Albanian offshore patrol vessels ALS Oriku (left) and ALS Butrinti in İzmir Port in mid-July.

In mid-July, ALS Oriku arrived in İzmir, Turkey to replace her sister ALS Butrinti and.

The 42,8 meter long, boats have 260 tons of displacement. Their 20mm remotely controlled gun turrets were installed in 2018.

ALS Butrinti has patrolled on behalf of NATO Standing NATO Maritime Group Two Task Unit 01 since January 2018. Her replacement ALS Oriku will be deployed in the region until the end of the year.

While the boats are swapped in 6-month periods, the crews only serve for about 3 months. The 21-strong crew of ALS Oriku represents the 12. Albanian Contingent.