The offshore patrol vessel Moulay Hassan I has officially joined the Royal Moroccan Navy. Built by the Spanish shipbuilding group Navantia, the ship was delivered on Thursday 17 September 2026 at the San Fernando shipyards, near Cádiz.
The handover took place with the signing of the official delivery certificate. No institutional ceremony accompanied the transfer. The vessel must now leave the Spanish yard to sail to its home base in Morocco.
Moulay Hassan I delivered after three years of construction
The Moulay Hassan I belongs to the Avante 1800 family developed by Navantia. Construction began in 2023, before the ship was launched on 27 May 2025 in San Fernando.
According to figures released about the project, the programme represented more than one million hours of work and around 1,100 direct, indirect and induced jobs.
The contract, worth around €130 million, also includes a support package. It provides spare parts, tools, technical documentation, assistance and training for Moroccan personnel.
An 87-metre patrol vessel
The Moulay Hassan I is 87 metres long with a beam of 13 metres. Its full-load displacement is around 2,020 tonnes.
The ship can accommodate around 60 crew members and reach a top speed of 24 knots. It is also equipped with a flight deck and two rigid-hulled inflatable boats.
The vessel is designed primarily for maritime surveillance missions and extended deployments at sea. This configuration is intended to enhance the Royal Navy’s presence across Morocco’s maritime areas.
A ship dedicated to maritime security and surveillance
The patrol vessel has been designed to carry out a range of blue‑water missions.
It can contribute to monitoring maritime spaces, controlling activities at sea, search and rescue operations, and protecting the Kingdom’s maritime interests.
Its design and endurance also allow for long-duration missions with a relatively small crew. Navantia highlights, in particular, the control of operating and life‑cycle costs for this platform.
The ship is equipped with a 76 mm gun. Publicly available information does not detail the rest of its secondary armament.
Delivery without an official ceremony
The handover of the Moulay Hassan I took place in a particularly discreet setting.
Navantia and the Royal Moroccan Navy simply proceeded with the signing of the delivery act. An official ceremony had initially been considered but ultimately did not take place.
Some Spanish media outlets linked this low‑key handover to tensions around Sebta. This remains, however, an interpretation from the Spanish press and has not been officially confirmed by the Moroccan authorities.
The absence of a ceremony does not call into question the contractual transfer of the vessel.
A new asset for the Royal Moroccan Navy
The arrival of the Moulay Hassan I is part of the gradual modernisation of Morocco’s surface fleet.
The ship also marks a new chapter in naval cooperation between Rabat and Madrid. According to specialised Moroccan sources, it is the first warship built in Spain for Morocco since the corvette Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani, delivered in 1983.
For now, Morocco has not officially announced any additional orders for another unit of the same class.
The Moulay Hassan I will now sail to Morocco with its crew. Its entry into service will strengthen the Royal Moroccan Navy’s maritime surveillance and patrol capabilities.
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