Podgorica, (MINA) – The construction of new patrol ships for the needs of the Montenegrin Navy officially began on Thursday at the KERSHIP shipyard in France, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Becic announced.

He said that a new foundation of the country’s security and a new pillar of defense policy and military modernization are being built with these ships.

“These ships are a message that Montenegro will never again be a weak point on the Adriatic, but a reliable pillar of peace, security and alliance”, Becic emphasized.

The new patrol ships, according to him, are designed for a wide range of tasks, from monitoring territorial waters, combating smuggling and illegal migration, to participation in international NATO-led missions.

Becic pointed out that the new ships will be named “Petar I Njegos” and “Petar II Njegos”.