Warship Delivered to Moroccan Navy by Dutch Shipyard

SIGMA Class Frigate, 'Allal Ben Abdellah', built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, transferred to the Royal Moroccan Navy.

DSNS took the opportunity for the ceremony to take place in Rotterdam, during the 35th edition of the "World Port Days".

The delivery of the last ship of a series of three marks the culmination of a period of dedicated and successful partnership with the Royal Moroccan Navy. All three ships were delivered in time, on schedule, meeting all the requirements as stated in the contract.

After commissioning, the crew will continue with another three weeks of Sail Safety Training in Den Helder and North Sea  conducted by training teams of the Royal Netherlands Navy. After that the Allal Ben Abdellah will start her maiden voyage to Morocco.

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.

Dutch frigate sports new mast after mid-life refit

The Karel Doorman-class frigate HrMs Van Speijk has become the first of the four M frigates in Dutch and Belgian naval service to receive a new mast as part of the IP-MF mid-life refit programme.

The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) ship commenced sea trials in June after emerging from the Marinebedrijf yard in Den Helder with its distinctive mast, which incorporate Thales Nederland's Seastar active-phased array radar (APAR).

BNS Leopold I , the first of the two frigates operated by the Belgian Maritime Component, is undergoing its year-long refit in Den Helder; HrMs Van Amstel is scheduled to start IP-MF work in the fourth quarter of 2012; and the final ship, BNS Louise-Marie , is expected to complete its modernisation in 2014.

The IP-MF programme includes electronic and software upgrades to the combat management system and the installation of new navigation, tactical datalink and identification friend-or-foe systems. The flight deck and hangar are being strengthened and enlarged respectively to allow the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter to be embarked.

However, the most prominent feature is the new mast and its non-rotating Seastar APAR for surface surveillance, which automatically detects and tracks asymmetric threats and small objects.