Doha – Construction of the new Avante 1800 offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Moroccan Navy continues at a steady pace at Navantia’s San Fernando shipyard in Cádiz. The vessel, which represents a major upgrade to Morocco’s naval capabilities, is scheduled for delivery in mid-2026.
The project officially began with steel cutting in July 2023, followed by the keel laying ceremony on September 6, 2024, at San Fernando’s dock number 3.
During this working event, Colonel Major Mohammed Sallouh of the Moroccan Navy was welcomed by Navantia’s President Ricardo Domínguez, Operations and Business Director Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, and Director of Corvettes and Maritime Action Vessels Alberto Cervantes.
“The placement of the block on the dock, assisted by cranes, marks the beginning of construction where the ship starts taking shape,” a Navantia spokesperson noted, adding that fabrication of subsequent blocks continues in various workshops.
Earlier in January 2024, Rear Admiral Mohamed Tahin, Inspector of the Royal Navy, personally visited Navantia’s facilities to monitor the patrol vessel’s construction progress.
The vessel, which will be Navantia-San Fernando’s 565th construction, boasts impressive specifications: 87 meters in length, 13 meters in beam, and a full-load displacement of approximately 2,020 tons.
It will accommodate a crew of 60 personnel and achieve a maximum speed of 24-26 knots, powered by a Combined Diesel And Diesel (CODAD) propulsion system featuring four MAN 175D main engines supported by five Baudouin 6 M26.3 generator sets.
With an operational range of about 4,000 nautical miles at an economical speed of 15 knots, the Avante 1800 is designed for extended maritime deployments with reduced operational and lifecycle costs.
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The ship features a flight deck capable of supporting a 10-ton helicopter or vertical takeoff drones, along with a hangar for air operations. Its equipment includes two 8-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) for auxiliary missions.
While official armament configurations for the Moroccan version remain undisclosed, the versatile Avante 1800 design typically accommodates a 76mm or 57mm main gun, remote-controlled weapon stations of 25mm or 30mm caliber, and various missile systems.
This project was financially secured in September 2022, when the Moroccan government announced the signing of a €95 million loan with Banco Santander to help finance the vessel valued at €130 million.
The broader program is estimated at around €260 million for two units, with Morocco retaining options for one or two additional vessels in the future.
The construction will generate over one million work hours and approximately 1,100 direct and indirect jobs over three and a half years.
The contract also includes technical and logistical support, comprising spare parts, tools, technical documentation, and training services for Royal Moroccan Navy personnel in Spain.
This patrol vessel represents the first warship built by a Spanish shipyard for Morocco in nearly four decades, following the corvette “Teniente Coronel Errahmani” delivered by then-Empresa Nacional Bazán (now Navantia) in March 1983.
The Avante 1800 will join Morocco’s modernizing fleet, which already includes the FREMM frigate Mohammed VI and three SIGMA-class corvettes, enhancing the country’s capabilities in economic zone surveillance, anti-trafficking operations, pollution control, search and rescue, and rapid intervention missions.
