Article Posted on : - Sep 14, 2011

DSNS transfers first SIGMA Class Frigate to Royal Moroccan Navy. Photo: DSNS

PARIS (BNS): Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) has handed over the first of three SIGMA Class Frigate ‘Tarik ben Ziyad’ to the Royal Moroccan Navy after successful sea trials.

The company said the frigate was transferred 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, it added.

After commissioning, the crew will continue with another three weeks of Sail Safety Training in Den Helder and North Sea. At the end of September, after conclusion of this training period, the Tarik ben Ziyad 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 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.