Navantia Signs Contract to Modernize Two Angolan Navy Patrol Vessels

Navantia has signed a contract in Angola to repair and modernize two Mandume-class patrol vessels for the Angolan Navy, the Spanish shipbuilder announced on October 15, 2026.

The customer is Simportex, the Angolan state-owned company that handles procurement for the Ministry of Defence. The work will take place at Navantia’s San Fernando shipyard in Cádiz, the yard that built both ships in the early 1990s.

Navantia Contract to Modernize Two Angolan Patrol Vessels

The contract was signed in Angola. Navantia describes it as a repair and modernization order. The release gives no contract value, no delivery schedule and no list of the systems to be replaced, and the other reports we read do not supply those figures either.

What the Contract Covers and What Remains Open

The release is specific about the services and silent on the commercial terms. The table separates the two.

Golfinho and Atlântico Mandume-Class Vessels

Navantia said both ships were built in the early 1990s at Empresa Nacional Bazán, the Spanish state-owned yard that is now part of Navantia. Wikipedia’s Angolan Navy page lists four Mandume-class vessels in service, built by Bazán and sourced to a 1996 Jane’s edition, but it gives no displacement or armament and does not name Golfinho or Atlântico. Navantia and Naval News name only these two ships in this contract.

Baird Maritime recalled a February 2023 report by The Diplomat that described a wider package of up to six new patrol vessels plus modernization of two of four Bazán-built ships. Navantia sources said then that the deal was not closed and depended on financing. Neither Navantia’s release nor Baird says whether that package relates to this contract. What was signed covers existing ships only.

San Fernando Yard, Training and Support

Navantia says the contract includes training for a number of Angolan Navy officers in Spain, two years of life-cycle support and knowledge transfer so the Navy can maintain the vessels in Angola.

Pairing a refit at the original builder’s yard with maintenance know-how for home use suggests the Navy wants to depend less on foreign yards for routine work after the overhaul. That reading is analysis. The release does not state that goal.

Navantia Company Profile

Navantia’s Repairs and Services Push in Africa

Navantia said the order is another step for its Repairs and Services business area, particularly in Africa, where it is making commercial efforts to help navies modernize existing ships. That is the company’s framing of its own strategy.

A refit contract is a smaller commitment than a new-build programme, and it keeps older hulls in service. The contract value is unknown, so its weight in Navantia’s results cannot be judged. Navantia’s 2025 revenue, per Wikipedia, was about €1.98 billion.

Navantia Angola Contract FAQ

Who signed the Navantia contract with Angola?

Alvaro Lobo, Navantia’s commercial director for Africa, and General Luis Manuel da Fonseca Sotto Maior Pizarro, president of Simportex, signed it in Angola.

Which ships are being modernized?

The Mandume-class patrol vessels Golfinho and Atlântico, built in the early 1990s at Empresa Nacional Bazán, now Navantia.

Where will the work be done?

At Navantia’s San Fernando shipyard in Cádiz, Spain.

How much is the contract worth?

Navantia has not disclosed a value.

Does the deal include new ships?

No. The release covers repair and modernization of two existing vessels, with training, two years of life-cycle support and knowledge transfer.