Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the amphibious vessel Al Fulk to the Ministry of Defense of Qatar.
The delivery ceremony took place on November 29 at the Muggiano shipyard (La Spezia), and marks the completion of a significant naval program for the Qatari Navy.
The vessel is equipped with a large flight deck that can host NH90 helicopters, a spacious garage with two vehicle ramps, and a floodable internal dock capable of deploying landing craft. Furthermore, it is designed according to RINAMIL standards, to perform air, sea, and land operations.
This allows the vessel to undertake a range of missions, from humanitarian aid to defense operations and support for ground forces, according to Fincantieri.
A €5 billion deal between Italy and Qatar for the construction of seven navy vessels was signed back in 2017. Seven surface vessels, of which four corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel, and two patrol vessels are to be built under this contract.
Fincantieri and Qatar also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Doha aimed at starting discussions about QENF personnel’s education and training patterns.
Under the MoU, the company and the navy plan to deepen discussions on content and modalities for Fincantieri to continue and improve Italian education and training patterns with the support of the Italian authorities and the other defense partners.