Spanish shipbuilder Aister has delivered the interceptor boat Río Manzanares to Spain’s Guardia Civil police force, completing a series of eight vessels built for the agency's maritime service.
Río Manzanares is intended for coastal surveillance, patrol and counter-narcotics interception in southern Spanish waters. Boats from the series operate around Cádiz, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Guadalquivir estuary.
Aister said the maritime service, "required a technologically advanced and robust solution to counter the fast craft deployed by organised crime in challenging operational arenas such as the Strait of Gibraltar."
The boats have replaced the Guardia Civil's previous FRP-hulled patrol vessels. Aister said feedback from crews helped inform construction refinements throughout the series.
The new interceptor has a length of 18.12 metres, a beam of 4.5 metres, and a displacement of just over 20 tons. Two MAN V12 engines drive twin Hamilton HTX42 waterjets to deliver speeds in excess of 60 knots and a range of over 400 nautical miles.
Aister is also building three 12-metre aluminium patrol boats for the Guardia Civil.