Spanish Shipbuilder Navantia Begins Construction of $92 Million Patrol Boat for Moroccan Navy

The Spanish shipbuilder has started the construction work on the Moroccan patrol boat since last month at its shipyard in San Fernando, reports the specialized portal Arab Defense. The order for the construction of this ship was announced in January 2021 and the first steel plate was cut in July 2023, it is recalled.

Morocco has taken out a $92 million loan from the Spanish Santander group for the construction of the Avante 1800 for the Royal Moroccan Navy. Navantia has already built four units of this type of ship for the Spanish navy, and four others for the Venezuelan navy.

This Navantia patrol boat is "capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, such as coastal surveillance and protection, maritime security, medical assistance to other ships, firefighting at sea, as well as marine pollution control". It can also carry out transport, search and rescue missions.

The Moroccan Avante 1800 patrol boat will be equipped with a 76mm cannon, a missile launch system, modern sensors, radars and a helipad, Navantia said in a statement, specifying that "the design of its systems aims to maintain operability, maintainability and reliability while reducing the number of crew members". It will be delivered to Morocco in mid-2026.