Qatar welcomes corvette Al Zubarah and OPV Musherib

The Qatari Emiri Navy welcomed Doha-class air defence corvette Al Zubarah and offshore patrol vessel Musherib during a ceremony held on 12 September.

The vessels were built by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at the integrated military shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano as part of the naval acquisition program of the Ministry of Defense of Qatar.

The units will soon enter service at the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The offices of Fincantieri Services Doha were also inaugurated, which will follow the firm’s activities in the area.

The Al Zubarah-class corvettes, designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules, will be highly flexible and capable of fulfilling different kinds of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capacities to being fighting vessels.

They are about 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, and equipped with a combined diesel and diesel plant (CODAD), with a maximum speed of 28 knots.

The units are able to accommodate 112 persons on board.

Furthermore, the corvettes are capable of operating high-speed boats such as rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) through lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern. The flight deck and hangar are sized for hosting one NH90 helicopter.

In April this year, Fincantieri delivered Damsah, the second of four Al Zubarah-class corvettes, to the Qatari Ministry of Defence.

Meanwhile, in July this year, the company delivered the second Musherib-class offshore patrol vessel.

The unit is a flexible type of ship capable of performing several services, from surveillance to combat functions. It is about 63 meters long, 9.2 meters wide, with a maximum speed of 30 knots.

The OPV can accommodate as many as 38 crew members.