Navantia Launches Saudi Corvette NEOM, the Seventh
Spain’s Navantia launched NEOM, the seventh Avante 2200-class corvette built for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, at its Bay of Cádiz shipyards on 25 October. The ship is the second of a three-ship batch contracted in 2025.
The Launch
According to Naval News, the ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghuraybi, Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Navantia Chairman Ricardo Domínguez and Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al Muqrin, Saudi Ambassador to Spain. Al-Ghuraybi said the name combines NEO, meaning new, with M for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Domínguez said launching one ship every four months is in line with the programme’s industrial schedule.
Programme and Systems
NEOM follows five ships built between 2019 and 2024 and is the second of a three-ship batch based on the same Avante 2200 design as the first. Navantia will deliver the batch’s first ship in Spain and send the second and third to Saudi Arabia for combat-system installation, integration and testing; the final ship is due in 2029. The ships are designed for maritime surveillance, search and rescue, intelligence, anti-submarine, anti-air, anti-surface and electronic warfare; the HAZEM combat system comes via the SAMINavantia joint venture, with Navantia also supplying the HERMESYS communications and DORNA fire-control systems.
Industrial Scope
Naval News reports that the contract involves about four million working hours, an average of 2,200 skilled jobs a day, more than 20 subcontractors and 50 suppliers from several countries. The implementing agreement with the Spanish Navy covers integrated logistics support, crew training and an operational evaluation period at Rota Naval Base. Length, displacement, speed and armament are not given because the source does not provide them.
Note
The report rests on the ceremony and programme details relayed by Naval News; other outlets give the same core facts. No image of the ship is used because no free-licence photograph of the class was available.
Originally reported by Envanter Medya.
