diff --git a/science/py-pygmo2/Makefile b/science/py-pygmo2/Makefile
index 16553740fe0f4..6ada1b4427e03 100644
--- a/science/py-pygmo2/Makefile
+++ b/science/py-pygmo2/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 PORTNAME=	pygmo2
 DISTVERSIONPREFIX=	v
-DISTVERSION=	2.16.1
-PORTREVISION=	2
+DISTVERSION=	2.18.0
 CATEGORIES=	science graphics
 PKGNAMEPREFIX=	${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}
 
@@ -28,10 +27,11 @@ USE_GITHUB=	yes
 GH_ACCOUNT=	esa
 
 CMAKE_ON=	PYGMO_ENABLE_IPO
+CMAKE_ARGS=	-DFREEBSD_PYTHON_DISTVERSION=${PYTHON_DISTVERSION}
 
 CXXFLAGS+=	-I${LOCALBASE}/include/coin # see https://github.com/esa/pygmo2/issues/58
 
-do-test: # requires to have the package installed; test taken from azure-pipelines.yml
+do-test: install # tests require sysctl sudo sysctl kern.threads.max_threads_per_proc variable to be at least 15000 ; test taken from azure-pipelines.yml
 	@${PYTHON_CMD} -c "import pygmo; pygmo.test.run_test_suite(1); pygmo.mp_island.shutdown_pool(); pygmo.mp_bfe.shutdown_pool()"
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>
diff --git a/science/py-pygmo2/distinfo b/science/py-pygmo2/distinfo
index c309be7352521..fcb71603b8fd7 100644
--- a/science/py-pygmo2/distinfo
+++ b/science/py-pygmo2/distinfo
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-TIMESTAMP = 1608698367
-SHA256 (esa-pygmo2-v2.16.1_GH0.tar.gz) = 54d4fa99e4bff539fca67dfcdc909499fd3f1a3186f7c7fc8200f19512954166
-SIZE (esa-pygmo2-v2.16.1_GH0.tar.gz) = 3027274
+TIMESTAMP = 1628134231
+SHA256 (esa-pygmo2-v2.18.0_GH0.tar.gz) = 9f081cc973297894af09f713f889870ac452bfb32b471f9f7ba08a5e0bb9a125
+SIZE (esa-pygmo2-v2.18.0_GH0.tar.gz) = 3021797
diff --git a/science/py-pygmo2/files/patch-CMakeLists.txt b/science/py-pygmo2/files/patch-CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..b3cf3308cc405
--- /dev/null
+++ b/science/py-pygmo2/files/patch-CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+- Fix the python version to one used by the port.
+
+--- CMakeLists.txt.orig	2021-08-05 03:52:20 UTC
++++ CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ if(${pagmo_VERSION} VERSION_LESS ${_PYGMO_MIN_PAGMO_VE
+ endif()
+ 
+ # python.
+-find_package(Python3 REQUIRED COMPONENTS Interpreter Development)
++find_package(Python3 ${FREEBSD_PYTHON_DISTVERSION} EXACT REQUIRED COMPONENTS Interpreter Development)
+ message(STATUS "Python3 interpreter: ${Python3_EXECUTABLE}")
+ message(STATUS "Python3 installation directory: ${Python3_SITEARCH}")
+ set(PYGMO_INSTALL_PATH "" CACHE STRING "pygmo module installation path")
diff --git a/science/py-pygmo2/pkg-plist b/science/py-pygmo2/pkg-plist
index c3401f636ce45..c4cc5ac853af1 100644
--- a/science/py-pygmo2/pkg-plist
+++ b/science/py-pygmo2/pkg-plist
@@ -21,6 +21,6 @@
 %%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/_s_policy_test.py
 %%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/_topology_test.py
 %%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/_version.py
-%%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/core.so
+%%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/core%%PYTHON_EXT_SUFFIX%%.so
 %%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/plotting/__init__.py
 %%PYTHON_SITELIBDIR%%/pygmo/test.py