Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Armon has cut the steel of the Swedish Navy’s two future maritime workboats in Asturias, northern Spain.
The ceremony was held at the company’s Jarrio center, where production will be facilitated until 2028 to replace the force’s HMS Pelikanen and HMS Furusund systems, which have been operational since the 60s and 80s, respectively.
Once deployed, the new vessels will sail alongside other naval units and undertake support torpedo supply, recovery, underwater, logistics, and diving support missions.
Each hull will have a width of 11 meters (36 feet), a length of 50 meters (164 feet), and a weight of 1,000 tons (907,185 kilograms).
The announcement follows Sweden’s acquisition of four new harbor tugs that will be used to move goods, military trucks, and containers between naval bases, surface vessels, and submarines, as well as the life extension program of its existing Trossbat light cable boats for amphibious units.
In December 2022, the Nordic country confirmed the development of its navy’s Ice-class harbor tug fleet in Dubai, which will operate at sub-zero temperatures in northern territories.
