Spanish Navantia Shipyard, on September 6, performed the keel laying of the Royal Moroccan Navy’s Avante 1800 class offshore patrol vessel.
Navantia’s press release states that the keel has been laid on harrow number three of the San Fernando Shipyard. The Avante 1800 class OPV will be 87 metres long and 13 metres overall width, with a crew of 60 people aboard. Its construction will need over one million hours of labour from the shipyard and the participating sector.
The patrol vessel system allows for long deployment periods at sea while maintaining very low operational and life cycle costs. To that end, the systems’ design strives to ensure operability, maintainability, and reliability with a smaller staff. In 2002,
Spain and Morocco disputed the tiny, uninhabited Perejil island (“Leila” in Morocco). The problem was resolved without violence. Since then, the bilateral relationship has fluctuated due to various issues, including migration, trade, fishing rights, and territorial conflicts. Despite conflicts, both countries have been working to improve collaboration in numerous sectors in recent years. In 2022, ties between Spain and Morocco improved after Spain changed its position on Western Sahara, endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the region, resulting in a diplomatic success for Rabat. This move helped reset relations, resulting in more cooperation on various fronts.
