The delivery of the corvette “Al Khor”, the third of the Al Zubarah-class of four vessels ordered to Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place on 22 December at the Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard.
The ceremony was attended by Staff Major General Hilal Al Muhannadi, Defense Attaché of the State of Qatar in Rome, Major General Hassan Rashid Al Ali, Head of QAF Projects, Brigadier General Abdulla Al Mazroey, Deputy Chief of the Qatar Navy and Commander of the Flottilla, Mr. Ahmed Mohammed AlShebani, representative of Qatar Embassy, Rear Admiral Giuseppe Scorsone, Director of Maritime Military Arsenal of La Spezia, and by Andrea Viero, Senior Vice President Market Development and Innovation Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri.
The Al Zubarah-class corvettes, designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules, will be highly flexible and capable of fulfilling different kinds of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capacities to being fighting vessels. They will be about 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, and equipped with a combined diesel and diesel plant (CODAD), with a maximum speed of 28 knots. The units will be able to accommodate 112 persons on board.
Furthermore, the corvettes will be capable of operating high-speed boats such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) through lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern. The flight deck and hangar are sized for hosting one NH90 helicopter.
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, the only one active in all high-tech marine industry sectors. It is leader in the construction and transformation of cruise, naval and oil & gas and wind offshore vessels, as well as in the production of systems and component equipment, after-sales services and marine interiors solutions. Thanks to the expertise developed in the management of complex projects, the Group boasts first-class references in infrastructures, and is a reference player in digital technologies and cybersecurity, electronics and advanced systems.
With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, Fincantieri maintains its know-how, expertise and management centres in Italy, here employing 10,000 workers and creating around 90,000 jobs, which double worldwide thanks to a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and with over 21,000 employees.
