Spain's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MITMA) will invest €91 million (US$110 million) for the acquisition of six new vessels for use by the country's Salvamento Maritimo maritime search and rescue (SAR) agency.
MITMA has awarded two separate contracts for the construction of two firefighting , patrol and rescue tugs and four fast SAR boats.
Each tug will have a length of 60 metres, a beam of 15 metres, a bollard pull of 100 tons, and a maximum speed of 14.5 knots. Power for each tug will be provided by a hybrid configuration with two azimuthing thrusters.
The four fast SAR boats will come in 15-metre and 21-metre variants. Each vessel will be equipped with two main engines driving waterjets to deliver speeds of up to 35 knots.
The SAR boats will also have shallow draughts to permit operations in nearshore areas. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2027 and 2028.