Spanish Shipbuilder Navantia Seeks Moroccan Contracts Amid Industry Challenges

Nothing is going well for Navantia. The Spanish shipbuilder has seen its order book decline in recent years. As a direct consequence of this situation, hundreds of Navantia jobs are threatened in the factories of San Fernando in Cadiz (Andalusia) and Ferrol in La Coruña (Galicia), two sites that are competing for the execution of the builder’s orders.

Therefore, it has become imperative for Navantia, which is under strong pressure from local shipyard workers, to secure orders in order to "cope with the lack of workload observed", according to the Iberian media La Voz de Galicia. This is how the Spanish shipbuilder has made an offer to the Moroccan authorities for the construction of two patrol boats, and is awaiting Rabat’s approval for the conclusion of the agreement.

According to the media, "negotiations are on the right track", but no deadline "has been set for the conclusion of a possible commercial agreement", even though Rabat, which is increasingly ambitious to strengthen its fleet, seems interested in the offers in question.