TSAMTO, December 8. The Spanish company Navantia announced the launching ceremony of the fifth corvette of the Avante-2200 project, intended for the Saudi Arabian Navy, on December 4 at the San Fernando (Cadiz) enterprise.
The event was attended by the Commander of the Saudi Arabian Navy, Vice Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily (Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily).
The fifth and last ship of the series was named (836) "Unayza" (Unayzah). The cutting ceremony of the first steel for the construction of the corvette took place at the company in San Fernando on July 15, 2020. The keel was laid in April 2021. After launching, the corvette will be retrofitted at the completion wall. It is assumed that the delivery of the corvette to the customer will be completed in February 2024.
As reported by TSAMTO, in July 2018, Navantia signed a contract with the government of Saudi Arabia for the construction of five corvettes under the ALSARAWAT project, the cost of which is 1.8 billion. euro ($2.1 billion). The Agreement entered into force in November 2018. The construction of corvettes is based on the Avante-2200 project, adapted to the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Navy.
As part of the agreement, Navantia also formed a joint venture in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi state-owned company SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries). It will offer integrated Navantia systems and technologically advanced solutions in the Saudi Arabian market. With the support of Navantia, SAMI intends to develop a national combat control system under the designation Hazem.
Most of the work on the construction of ships is carried out in Spain. Steel cutting for the lead corvette, El Jubail, began in January 2019, keel laying took place in October 2019, launching – in July 2020. As planned, it will be delivered to the customer in the near future.
Currently, all five ships are at various stages of construction, including (828) "El Jubail", (830) "Al Diriyah" (Al Diriyah), (832) "Hail" (Hail), (834) "Jizan" (Jazan) and (836) "Unayza" (Unayzah).
The last corvette should be delivered to the customer in 2024. In accordance with the terms of the deal, the completion of the last two ships will be completed in Saudi Arabia, where, in particular, the CATIZ combat control system of Navantia will be installed and tested. In addition, Navantia will be responsible for the maintenance of ships for five years from the date of delivery of the first corvette. The option provides for the extension of maintenance work for another five years.
