Keel Laying Ceremony for Armada’s New Underwater Support Vessel

In Spain, at the Freire Shipyard in Vigo, the keel laying ceremony of the next auxiliary ship of the Armada was held, aimed at supporting divers in their operations.


The ship will support the Armada Divers School (Escuela Militar de Buceo, EMB) at the Armada Divers Center (Centro de Buceo de la Armada, CBA).

The new vessel will have a length of 32.9 meters, a width of 9 meters, and a draft of 2.50 meters.

The on board accommodations will be able to accommodate up to 11 sailors and 4 doctors/nurses or other personnel.

The propulsion apparatus will consist of 3 diesel engines MAN D 2862 LE444 with 735kW connected to three waterjets that will propel the unit up to a maximum speed of 12 knots and will give it a range of 500 miles; at the bow there will be a pair of encapsulated propellers, each with a power of 150 kW, to facilitate maneuvering and the ship will also be equipped with a dynamic positioning system DP-2. An emergency generator with a power of 45kW will be available on board.


The new support ship will be equipped with a 4-ton crane and two RHIB-type boats.

The aft area of the ship is configured for the modular boarding of systems and equipment with a maximum of two standard 10″ containers and two 20″ containers for the transport of diving mix cylinders, the underwater bell for operations up to 90 meters deep, the hyperbaric chamber, and the supply of hot water.

For support operations to underwater activities, the ship will be able to operate with a Remotely Operated Vehicle – ROV capable of descending up to 900 meters deep and with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle – AUV with a diving capacity up to 300 meters.

Source and images credited @Freire Shipyard