Spain's largest ship builder signs a deal to aid one of Africa's strongest navies in modernizing 30-year-old warships built by the same company - Business Insider Africa

Navantia Secures Angolan Naval Modernization Contract for 1990s Patrol Boats

“This order from the Angolan government marks another step forward in Navantia’s international defence market for its Repairs and Services business area, particularly in Africa, where commercial efforts are being made to support navies in modernizing their existing ships,” the company said.

State-owned Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has signed a formal repair and modernization agreement with Simportex, the Angolan state-owned entity responsible for Ministry of Defence procurement. Africa.businessinsider.com reported that the deal, initially announced by the Spanish shipyard on October 15, covers two naval vessels built in the early 90s.

The contract specifically targets the naval vessels Golfinho and Atlântico. Both ships were originally constructed at a Navantia facility during the early 1990s, when the enterprise operated under the name Empresa Nacional Bazán. Because the Spanish shipbuilder engineered and built the hulls decades ago, the Angolan Ministry of Defence awarded the yard direct responsibility for the repair work.

Beyond physical shipyard repairs, the agreement establishes a structured knowledge transfer program. Navantia will train several officers of the Angolan Navy in Spain. The package also includes two years of life-cycle support designed to equip the Angolan Navy with the internal technical capacity to handle routine maintenance locally in Angola.

Luanda Evaluated Larger Defense Package with Navantia

The current modernization pact arrives alongside broader discussions regarding Angolan maritime procurement. A February 2023 report by The Diplomat, as highlighted by DefenseWeb, indicated that Luanda had previously evaluated a much larger defense package with Navantia. That earlier proposal involved purchasing six additional patrol boats alongside the refurbishment of two out of four Bazán-built vessels from the 1990s, though the expansion remained contingent on external funding.

The ships undergoing current refurbishment belong to the Mandume-class. These compact patrol boats measure 29 meters from bow to stern and displace 112 tonnes at full load. Propelled by two Paxman Vega diesel engines, the vessels are capable of reaching speeds up to 27 knots. Armament on each Mandume-class boat consists of a forward-mounted machine gun, while the rear deck provides dedicated space for a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, commonly known as an RHIB.

Angola’s active maritime forces maintain a diverse assortment of patrol craft and auxiliary vessels. The operational inventory currently includes four Mandume-class vessels, three CMN HSI 32 boats, four Super Dvora Mk 3 craft, three Ocean Eagle 43 vessels, five ARESA PVC-170 boats, and two Namacurra-class patrol boats, alongside two CMN LCT 200-70 landing craft and various smaller auxiliary craft.