After successful seatrials and finishing of outfitting details, SIGMA Class Frigate Tarik ben Ziyad, built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, today was transferred to Rear Admiral Mohamed Laghmari, Commander in Chief of the Royal Moroccan Navy.
Once again DSNS has proven to be a highly reliable partner as the ship was delivered in time, on schedule and meeting all the requirements as stated in the contract.
The delivery of the first of three frigates was achieved within four years from the effective date of contract, after a period of thorough engineering and three years of construction.
The next two Frigates for the Royal Moroccan Navy are well underway. After commissioning, the crew will continue with another three weeks of Sail Safety Training in Den Helder and North Sea. This training will be conducted by training teams of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
At the end of September, after conclusion of this training period, the Tarik ben Ziyad will start her maiden voyage to Morocco.
SIGMA:
The three SIGMA-class frigates for the Royal Moroccan Navy have been designed according to Schelde Naval Shipbuilding’s revolutionary SIGMA-approach and are a further development of the SIGMA-corvettes for the Indonesian Navy. The SIGMA approach applies modularity in many areas.
The Royal Moroccan Navy SIGMA Class frigates are equipped to conduct the traditional naval tasks as well as maritime security operations. The vessels are also suited to support humanitarian aid operations.
DAMEN SCHELDE NAVAL SHIPBUILDING:
The Damen Shipyards Group offers a complete range of naval and patrol vessels ranging from 7 to over 200 meters.
Part of this portfolio are the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) naval combatants and auxiliaries, embodied by the SIGMA and ENFORCER series.
At present DSNS also has under construction for the Royal Netherlands Navy: four Patrol Ships and a Joint Logistic Support Ship (JSS), the largest military vessel built by DSNS so far.
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Source: DamenNaval, September 12, 2011;