Spanish Navy chooses Freire to Build a Diver Support Vessel for Nearly 18 million Euros
The vessel will be under 30 meters-long and 500 miles autonomy.
Galician shipbuilding industry continues to grow. Although some of the main shipyards enjoy substantial workloads or have projects fast completed, the shipyards in Vigo and Marín continue to secure new contracts. Freire Shipyard, currently competing for oceanographic vessels for Canada and Indonesia, has been selected by the Spanish Navy for the construction of its new diver support vessel. This order is valued at nearly 18 million euros (excluding VAT).
Last summer, the Madrid-based engineering firm Seaplace — which has a branch in Vigo — secured a Navy contract valued at approximately 150,000 euros to design a vessel intended to support Navy's Diving School. Specifically, that tender underscored the need to continue renewing the fleet and to acquire a Diver Support Vessel (DSV). Requirements specify a unit with a length not exceeding 30 meters, autonomy of 500 miles at 12 knots, equipped with a dual "waterjet" propulsion system and a DP2 dynamic positioning system. Additionally, the vessel will be designed for a basic crew of 11 and to accommodate various types of drones.
Following that design contract, the Navy launched a tender for its construction last September, with an estimated contract value of 23 million euros, inviting bids from domestic shipyards.
The Navy indicated the chosen option was Freire's, which proposed a budget of 17.8 million euros (excluding taxes) and scored 95 out of 100 points. Consequently, the shipyard, led by Marcos and Guillermo Freire, has been awarded the project, which has an execution timeline of 20 months.
This vessel is part of the Navy's plan to strengthen its underwater intervention capabilities, with the main goal of replacing veteran ship Neptuno, built in Gijón half a century ago by Duro Felguera. As a direct successor, Navantia Cádiz was commissioned to build the Underwater Intervention Maritime Action Vessel (BAM-IS), nearly 85 meters-long and named Poseidón.
With this contract, Freire's order book now includes seven vessels, adding this Navy project to the two oceanographic vessels (for France and Saudi Arabia), a mega yacht (the Incógnita project), a buoy maintenance vessel (for Briggs Marine), a fishing vessel (for Canadian owner Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries), and a sailing ship for Greenpeace.
(Source: Faro de Vigo)