Navantia Launches 'Neom' Corvette in San Fernando, the Seventh Built for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces
The programme, launched in 2019, reaches another milestone with a new vessel from the second series
Navantia has reached another milestone in its corvette construction programme for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSFN) with the launch of HMS Neom on Sunday at its San Fernando shipyard. Since the programme began, with the first steel cutting in January 2019, the shipyard has been responsible for building these vessels, generating a significant economic and employment impact on the shipbuilding industry in the Bay of Cádiz.
This is the seventh corvette built in San Fernando for Saudi Arabia and the second vessel in a series of three commissioned in 2024 to extend and provide continuity to the original contract. Neom, named after the Saudi city and major urban development project forming part of the country's Vision 2030 strategy, follows the corvette Almadinah, which was launched last June. It also marks the 576th vessel launched by the historic San Fernando shipyard.
Navantia expects to deliver the final vessel in this second series to the Saudi Navy in 2029. The first unit will be delivered in Spain, while the second and third will be transferred to Saudi Arabia for the final installation, integration and testing of their combat systems, following the same procedure used for the fourth and fifth vessels under the previous contract.
The Neom corvette, whose assembly was completed last month, was launched on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new production phase. Outfitting work will now commence, including the installation of pumps, piping and cooling systems, as well as cable laying and other components. Equipment installation will follow. A key objective will be to start the generators and commission the vessel's electrical power plant, enabling it to generate electricity independently. This operation is carried out while the vessel is afloat, allowing seawater to be used to cool the engines.
The former Bazán shipyard is therefore working simultaneously on all three corvettes in the second phase of the Saudi Arabian programme. The first, Almadinah, was launched in mid-June, and its electrical power plant is already operational. At that time, the second vessel was already on the slipway, with construction well advanced. The keel of the third corvette, Alula, was laid a few weeks later, in early July. Its launch is scheduled for February.
The contract includes the provision of an integrated logistics support package and crew training, together with a period of operational evaluation of the vessels by the Spanish Navy at Rota Naval Base, where Navantia will provide support services. The Spanish state-owned company will also train approximately 100 Saudi engineers.
The ongoing contract represents a substantial workload for the Bay of Cádiz, estimated at around four million working hours, generating demand for an average of 2,200 skilled jobs per day. According to figures provided by Navantia, more than 20 subcontracting companies and 50 suppliers from several countries are also involved.
This second series of three corvettes for Saudi Arabia is identical to the first, with a design based on the AVANTE 2200 model. These versatile vessels are specifically designed for maritime surveillance and traffic control, search and rescue operations, and assistance to other vessels, among other missions. They will also have significant capabilities for protecting strategic assets, intelligence gathering, anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and electronic warfare.
Source: Diario de Cádiz