THE HAGUE, 24/01/01 - Greece is interested in two Dutch S-frigates that the Navy is withdrawing from service. These are the HMS Pieter Florisz and the HMS Jan van Brakel.

The 1999 Defence Memorandum specified that four new frigates would be built, and six of the present sixteen would be disposed of. The Pieter Florisz will be the first to be officially withdrawn from service in Den Helder today. Greece has indicated its interest both in this frigate and in the Jan van Brakel. In the past, the country also bought four frigates that had been withdrawn from service by the Netherlands.

Of the six ships destined to disappear by the 1999 Defence Memorandum, four are of the so-called S-type. The other two are guided missile frigates. The first four will be replaced by the same number of modern air defence and command frigates. The first of these, the Zeven Provincien, which was christened by Queen Beatrix last April, will make its first trial voyage this autumn.