Navantia Lays the Keel of the Eighth Corvette for Saudi Arabia at the San Fernando Shipyard
The C/577 vessel, named HMS ALULA, confirms the strong pace of programme execution.
Navantia’s San Fernando shipyard held the keel-laying ceremony this Thursday for the eighth corvette for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). This vessel will be the shipyard’s construction number C/577 and will be named HMS ALULA.
As on previous occasions, this keel-laying was held as a working event and was attended by the director of the Corvettes and Maritime Action Vessels (CBAM) Business Unit, Alberto Cervantes, together with Navantia and RSNF programme teams. With the keel of this corvette now on the slipway, Navantia is operating at full capacity with the three units of the second series for Saudi Arabia already out of the workshops, following the launch of the first on 18 June.
Delivery of these three vessels is scheduled to be completed in 2029. Navantia will be responsible for delivering the first unit, while the second and third will be completed in Saudi Arabia with the installation, integration and testing of the combat system, as was the case under the previous contract.
The order includes the supply of an integrated logistics support package and crew training, together with an operational evaluation period for the vessels by the Spanish Navy at the Rota naval base, where Navantia will provide support services. In addition, Navantia will train around one hundred Saudi engineers.
This contract represents around four million working hours for the Bay of Cádiz, generating an impact of up to 2,000 jobs, including direct, indirect and induced employment.
The achievement of this important milestone once again highlights the excellent work carried out by the Navantia teams and the partner company. This success reflects the commitment, professionalism and coordination of all those involved in the project, and once again demonstrates our ability to meet demanding objectives through joint effort.
Avante 2200 model/ALFA 3000
This second series of three corvettes for Saudi Arabia will be identical to the first. The design is based on Navantia’s AVANTE 2200 model — a multi-purpose platform conceived for maritime surveillance and traffic control, search and rescue, and assistance to other ships, among other missions. The vessels also provide significant capabilities for the defence of strategic assets and intelligence, as well as anti-submarine, anti-air, anti-surface and electronic warfare.
The corvettes feature a state-of-the-art design and maximise Navantia’s contribution through the integration of in-house solutions, including the HAZEM combat system (via the SAMINavantia joint venture), the HERMESYS integrated communications system, the DORNA fire-control director, the Integrated Platform Control System and the MINERVA integrated bridge. The vessels also incorporate propulsion engines under MTU licence, diesel generator sets and reduction gearboxes under the Schelde licence. Navantia’s Repairs Business Unit will further support the programme through work carried out during the corvettes’ dry dockings in San Fernando.
About Navantia
With a history of more than 300 years linked to the construction of ships for the Navy, Navantia is a state-owned and strategic technology company for the defence of Spain. Its areas of specialisation range from shipbuilding (surface and submarine) to the design and integration of systems with a high technological content and life cycle support and high value-added services. Additionally, with its brand Navantia Seanergies, it is a global supplier for the development of offshore wind energy and other green energies such as hydrogen. Navantia employs 7,000 people directly, in Spain, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Committed to building a safe and sustainable future through technological excellence and industrial collaboration, Navantia has contracts with Governments and companies around the world and ties with universities and technological and academic centres. It contributes to sustainability and innovation through its daily commitment to people and the planet, with responsible practices from the point of view of labour, the environment and economic and technological development that are viable regionally, nationally and internationally. It is owned 100% by the Sociedad Española de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), attached to the Ministry of Finance and Public Function of Spain.
