Navantia launched this Sunday the third of the five corvettes it is building in the shipyards of Bahía de Cádiz for the Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia (RSNF), named after HAIL, in homage to this city in the north of the country.
The launch took place at 16.15 hours, the right time depending on the tides and the wind. Precisely, the weather forecast for the coming days, which contemplates strong winds in the Bay, has advised canceling the ceremony that was scheduled for this Tuesday, March 30.
Instead, the launch has taken place as an act of work at the shipyard. It has involved the director of Operations and Business of Navantia, Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, the director of the shipyards in Bahía de Cádiz, José Antonio Rodríguez Poch, and Captain Abdullah Alsheri, liaison officer of the Avante 2200 Program, representing Vice Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily, commander of the Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia.
The corvette has glided down the stands until it touches the water and its construction will continue in this medium until its delivery, scheduled for December 2022. During the launch, the anthems of Spain and Saudi Arabia have been heard.
The HAIL corvette is the third of five that make up the Avante 2200 program. It has a length of 104 meters, a sleeve of 14 and will be able to transport a total of 102 people between crew and passage. It will reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and, among other aspects, has the capacity to carry on board provisions for 21 days.
The design of the corvettes is state-of-the-art, while maximizing Navantia’s participation by incorporating its own products, such as the CATIZ combat system, the HERMESYS integrated communications system, the DORNA firing direction, the Integrated Platform Control System and the MINERVA integrated bridge, along with other equipment developed by Navantia under license , such as MTU engines, RENK gearboxes.
This contract, in force since November 2018, strengthens Navantia’s immediate future and benefits all the company’s shipyards and its auxiliary industry, especially the entire Bay of Cadiz.
It will involve a global workload of around seven million hours, or 6,000 jobs annually for five years. Of these, more than 1,100 will be direct employees in Navantia, more than 1,800 are in the auxiliary industry and more than 3,000 are indirect employees generated by other suppliers. More than 100 auxiliary companies will collaborate on the programme.
The contract, the last ship to be delivered in 2024, includes, in addition to construction, Life Cycle Support for five years, from the delivery of the first vessel, with an option to an additional five years.
On the other hand, it also includes the provision of various services, such as integrated logistics support, operational and maintenance training, supply of Training and Training Centers for the Combat System and Platform Control System of ships, Life Cycle Support and systems for the maintenance of ships at the Jeddah Naval Base.