[News]Navantia launches the first warship for Saudi Arabia

[SougarLord]

With some verses from the Koran and a video from the city of Al-Jubail, which gives its name to the ship, the Navantia shipyard in San Fernando (Cádiz) launched at 5:22 p.m. the first of five corvettes for the Saudi Arabian Navy.

This is a new milestone in the largest military export contract in the history of Spain: 1,800 million euros for the accounts of the Navantia public shipyard, currently immersed in other projects such as the F-110 frigates and the S-80 submarine for the Navy Spanish or two logistics ships for Australia.
On behalf of the Saudi delegation, Vice Admiral Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily, commander of the navy of this Arab country that is still waging a war in Yemen, appeared by videoconference. The Saudi military high command highlighted the importance of this project contracted to Navantia in 2018: It is one of the most important acquisition programs in terms of capabilities, reflecting a strong relationship between Spain and Saudi Arabia, and reinforcing cooperation between the two Armed in construction, formation and training. In addition, he noted that the success of this program is key to future contracts.

The Saudi corvettes program, whose last ship will be delivered in 2024, includes in addition to construction, life cycle support for five years, from the delivery of the first ship, with the option of another five additional years.

                                                                             

With this initial contract, Navantia hopes to reissue with Saudi Arabia the same formula for which it built two Juan Carlos I-type aircraft carriers, landing craft, two Patiño-class logistics ships, or assisted in the design and construction of destroyers, the latter. in Australian shipyards. In other words, it seeks to strengthen the relationship with Saudi Arabia at the level of military shipbuilding.

Navantia's President, Susana Sarriá, was the main civil authority to assist in the launching of the warship. The Spanish representative highlighted Navantia's purpose of contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia's naval and industrial capacities through other future programs. Along with the president of Navantia, the head of the Arsenal in Cádiz, vice-admiral Ricardo A. Hernández, attended the ceremony.

Since the cutting of the first plate of the Al-Jubail corvette was carried out, in January 2019, all the workshops of Navantia San Fernando and also of Puerto Real have worked so that this first Saudi corvette is launched on date. In recent months, the coronavirus pandemic caused some setback but without influencing launch and subsequent delivery times. The second corvette, called Aldiriyah, will be launched in November.