Knud Rasmussen OPV

The Knud Rasmussen class is a class of offshore patrol vessels operating in the Royal Danish Navy from 2008.[1][2][3][4] Built to replace the Agdlek-class cutters on a one-by-one basis, the Knud Rasmussen-class vessels are significantly larger, enabling patrols further offshore.

The ships' normal tasks include fisheries inspections, environment protection, search and rescue, sovereignty enforcement, icebreaker assignments, towage and salvage operations and general assistance to the Danish and Greenland governments (including police tasks). The class has a helicopter deck aft behind the superstructure but lacks an aircraft hangar. However, it can perform Rotors running refueling and can thus increase the endurance and the range of the helicopter. December 2013 a third ship of the class (HDMS Lauge Koch) was ordered by the Danish Parliament. Service entry of the third ship will be 2016, with an estimated cost of 513 mill Dkr (US$ 76.2 million).