Spanish company Navantia progresses steadily on Morocco’s new Avante 1800 offshore patrol vessel despite earlier diplomatic tensions.

As reported by Defensa on April 29, 2025, the construction of the Royal Moroccan Navy’s new Avante 1800 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia is progressing steadily. Following a contract signed in January 2021 and initial delays due to political tensions between Morocco and Spain, the keel was laid in September 2024 at Navantia’s San Fernando Shipyard. The patrol vessel is scheduled for delivery by mid-2026 and represents a reinforcement of Morocco’s maritime capabilities, with Morocco retaining the option to order one or two additional vessels in the future.

Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The steel-cutting ceremony of the first Avante 1800 took place on July 3, 2023, and the keel was laid on September 6, 2024, at the San Fernando Shipyard in Cádiz, Spain. (Picture source: Defensa)

The procurement of the Avante 1800 offshore patrol vessel, which is sometimes designated as a corvette, follows earlier acquisitions by the Royal Moroccan Navy aimed at expanding its maritime forces. In previous years, Morocco commissioned the FREMM-class frigate Mohammed VI from French shipbuilder Naval Group and received three SIGMA-class corvettes built by the Dutch company Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding. The FREMM Mohammed VI, delivered in 2014, provides multi-role capabilities, including anti-submarine, anti-surface, and anti-air warfare. Meanwhile, the SIGMA corvettes, delivered between 2011 and 2012, are used primarily for surveillance, patrol, and protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The construction of the Avante 1800 continues this modernization trajectory, adding a multi-mission vessel with modular adaptability, designed for long-term deployments with reduced operating costs and built to accommodate future upgrades based on Morocco’s operational requirements.

Morocco’s decision to purchase the Avante 1800 appears to be linked to earlier naval collaborations with Spain. In the 1980s, Spain delivered several patrol boats and a corvette to the Royal Moroccan Navy. Interest in new offshore patrol vessels based on the Avante family emerged in early 2020. However, negotiations were delayed by political tensions, particularly after Morocco announced plans to expand its territorial waters and during the diplomatic crisis surrounding the hospitalization of Polisario leader Brahim Ghali in Spain in 2021. Relations between Spain and Morocco were later restored in 2022, when Spain endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, enabling the resumption of cooperation, including the finalization of a $92 million loan from the Spanish Santander Bank on August 31, 2022.

Following the resolution of diplomatic and financial challenges, Morocco proceeded with the order of two Avante-class offshore patrol vessels valued at approximately €260 million, including maintenance support. In 2023, Spain’s far-right Vox party submitted questions to the Spanish Congress concerning the status of the Moroccan Avante 1800 contract. The Spanish government confirmed that the contract remained active and that the vessel had entered the equipment acquisition phase. The steel-cutting ceremony of the first Avante 1800 took place on July 3, 2023, and the keel was laid on September 6, 2024, at the San Fernando Shipyard in Cádiz, Spain. Construction of the vessel requires more than one million hours of work and is expected to create approximately 1,100 direct and indirect jobs over three and a half years. The OPV is expected to be delivered by mid-2026, with Morocco retaining the option to order one or two additional units after the delivery of the first vessel. The Avante 1800 is expected to replace the Descubierta-class Lieutenant Colonel Errahmani frigate.

Navantia’s Avante family encompasses a wide range of patrol vessels adapted for research, support, patrol, and combat missions, with displacements ranging from 300 to 3,000 tonnes. Sharing a common design philosophy, Avante vessels incorporate modular systems enabling the integration of helicopter flight decks, hybrid propulsion, RHIBs (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats), modular mission containers, and future upgrades without major structural modifications. This modular approach allows vessels to be configured based on specific customer requirements and mission profiles. The Avante family includes several models, including the Avante 1400, Avante 2200, and Avante 3000 classes, and has previously been exported to countries such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia as part of Navantia’s broader shipbuilding strategy for international markets.

The ship’s armament configuration, although not fully disclosed for the Moroccan version, typically integrates a 76mm main naval gun, secondary 35mm cannons, 12.7mm machine guns, surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM). (Picture source: Defensa)

The Avante 1800 is a small multi-mission patrol combatant developed by Navantia for tasks including Exclusive Economic Zone protection, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-air warfare (AAW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations. The ship measures between 87 and 89 meters in length, with a beam of 13 to 13.3 meters and a draft of 4 meters. Its full load displacement is reported to be between 2,020 and 2,100 tonnes. Designed with a stealth profile to reduce radar and thermal signatures, the Avante 1800 meets contemporary operational requirements for reduced detectability. It features a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) propulsion system powered by four MAN 175D main engines, supported by five Baudouin 6 M26.3 generator sets, allowing it to reach speeds of 24 to 26 knots. The ship has an operational range of approximately 4,000 nautical miles at an economical speed of 15 knots and is intended for long deployments while maintaining low operational and lifecycle costs.

The Avante 1800 is equipped to perform a broad range of missions, including coastal surveillance, protection of maritime traffic, external firefighting, marine pollution control, transport of personnel and provisions, search and rescue operations, rapid intervention, support for frogmen operations, surface defense, and passive electronic warfare. Its design includes a flight deck capable of supporting a 10-ton helicopter or UAVs with vertical takeoff capabilities, a hangar for aerial operations, and facilities for launching two eight-meter RHIBs. The ship’s armament configuration, although not fully disclosed for the Moroccan version, typically integrates a 76mm main naval gun, secondary 35mm cannons, 12.7mm machine guns, surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM). The modular architecture allows for additional capabilities to be integrated without requiring major structural changes, ensuring flexibility for future upgrades.

The vessel’s combat systems are expected to include a 3D air and surface surveillance radar, an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, a multipurpose sonar, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), and electro-optical fire control systems. While the final suppliers for radars and missiles have not yet been announced for Morocco’s Avante 1800, possibilities mentioned include European or Israeli equipment such as AESA radars, Barak surface-to-air missiles, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The Avante 1800 design is said to share some characteristics with the Buque de Vigilancia de Litoral (BVL) and Avante 2200 models built for the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela. Additionally, the vessel’s stealth design aims to reduce radar and thermal signatures, enhancing its survivability during operations in contested environments.

The Avante 1800 is a small multi-mission patrol combatant developed by Navantia for tasks including Exclusive Economic Zone protection, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-air warfare (AAW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations. (Picture source: Navantia)