Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has delivered to the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) the third of five new Avante 2200 corvettes, Hail.
As informed, the delivery ceremony took place at the firm’s yard in the Bay of Cadiz on 4 December. The company delivered the vessel three years after the steel was cut, thus meeting both the demanding quality requirements and the deadlines. It is one of the most competitive and capable vessels in its segment, as demonstrated in the sea trials carried out in the waters of the Bay of Cadiz.
During the delivery, a Joint Inspection Commission (RSNF and Navantia) has boarded the corvette to carry out the mandatory inspection.
The president of Navantia Ricardo Domínguez thanked for the work to all the participants in the program. Furthermore, he emphasized that this was a “glorious and historic” moment and that the ship, like the whole class, has been designed and built to be “one of the most powerful and technologically advanced corvettes to comply with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030” .
The corvette Hail has a length of 104 meters, a beam of 14 and is capable of transporting a total of 102 people. The contract for the construction of five corvettes came into force in November 2018 and, the first unit was launched in July 2020.
The deliveries are taking place just over three years after the cutting of the first steel of each vessel.
The corvettes are based on the Avante 2200 design, adapted to the requirements of Saudi Arabia, offering advanced performance, excellent behavior at sea, high survivability and ability to operate at extreme temperatures.
The second vessel in the class Al-Diriyah entered service this July.