Navantia launches OPV for Moroccan navy

Navantia launches the Moroccan navy's new OPV at San Fernando shipyard on 27 May. (Navantia)

Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia officially launched the new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) on order for the Royal Moroccan Navy at its San Fernando shipyard in Cádiz, Spain, on 27 May.

The OPV, which has been assigned the pennant number 565, is being built by Navantia under a contract announced in January 2021. The first steel was cut on 3 July 2023, and the vessel was laid down on 6 September 2024. Under contract terms, the ship will be delivered in mid-2026.

Morocco's new OPV is based on Navantia's Avante 1800 design, with an overall length of 87 m, a beam of 13 m, a draught of 4 m, and a full load displacement of around 2,020 tonnes. The ship will have a top speed of 24 kt and a range of 4,000 n miles at 15 kt. It will be able to carry a complement of 60 personnel (including a core crew of 46).

The scope of supply includes a technical-logistical support package that includes technical training for Royal Moroccan Navy personnel in Spain.

Navantia (then Bazán shipyards) has previously built ships for the Royal Moroccan Navy that are still in operation today. These include four Lazaga-class fast attack craft built in the early 1980s and six Cormoran-class large patrol boats built in the second half of the 1980s.

For more information, please seeMorocco orders patrol vessel from Navantia .