Moroccan navy’s power strengthened with Spanish-built Avante patrol vessel

Spanish Navantia San Fernando shipyard celebrated on Tuesday May 27 the launch ceremony of the Avante 1800 type OPV that the company has built for the Moroccan Royal Navy, an event consolidated the close naval cooperation between Spain and Morocco, based on continuous exchange and mutual technical recognition.

Construction number 565 of the shipyard touched the sea for the first time in an event presided over by high representatives of the Moroccan Royal Navy, the president of Navantia, Ricardo Domínguez, and several other figures from the business and political worlds, the Spanish company said in a press release.

The director of the shipyard, Alberto Cervantes, underlined the importance of successfully fulfilling this order, which will be followed by other projects already in the portfolio.

The representative of the Moroccan Royal Navy, Captain Mohammed El Fadili, took the floor to highlighted the importance of this project “as an expression of the deep ties of friendship and cooperation that unite Morocco and Spain in general, the Royal Navy and the Navantia shipyard in particular.”

Captain El Fadili also highlighted the cutting-edge technological features of the vessel, “which fully embody the ambition of the Royal Navy to acquire an efficient, versatile, and durable fleet within the framework of the modernization of all the Royal Armed Forces decided by HM King Mohammed VI, to face constantly changing maritime security challenges,” the press release said.

Finally, the president of Navantia, Ricardo Domínguez, emphasized that the program represents “not only a construction milestone but also the strength of a collaboration that consolidates over time” and “testimony of the shared commitment between Spain and Morocco for security and technological excellence.”

Afterwards, the director and the representative of the Moroccan Navy, Alberto Cervantes, and Captain El Fadili pressed the button that activated the mechanism by which the patrol boat slid down slipway number 3 into the sea.

The patrol vessel, which is construction number 565 of Navantia San Fernando, has a length of 87 meters and a total beam of 13 meters, and can accommodate a crew of 60 people on board. Its construction also includes a technical-logistical support package (spare parts, tools, and technical documentation), including technical training services for the personnel of Morocco’s Royal Navy in Spain.

The patrol vessel is a solution that guarantees long deployment periods at sea with very low operating and life cycle costs. To achieve this, the design of its systems aims to maintain operability, maintainability, and reliability with a reduced crew.

The contract for the design and construction of a single offshore patrol vessel (OPV) between Navantia and the Royal Navy was signed in 2021. The first steel cutting took place in July 2023. The vessel building, worth €130 million, was partly financed through a €95 million loan from Banco Santander.

The vessel represents the first warship built by a Spanish shipyard for Morocco in almost four decades.