Spanish shipyard Navantia has laid the keel of a new submarine rescue vessel that had been ordered by the Spanish Navy in 2020.
The new vessel will replace Neptuno, a tug that was acquired in 1975, as the Spanish Navy's sole submarine rescue platform.
Classed as a "maritime action vessel" (buque de acción marítima; BAM), the newer ship has been designed specifically to be compatible with the Isaac Peral-class diesel-electric submarines.
The completed vessel will boast a working deck with a total area of 400 square metres and space for remotely operated vehicles and modular mission-specific systems such as the NATO submarine rescue system. Operations will also include dive support and protection of underwater heritage sites.
Navantia said the BAM will be able to maintain accurate dynamic positioning even under challenging conditions at sea.
The builder expects the vessel to be delivered within 42 months of the contract signing with the navy.
Navantia has also been contracted to build two examples of a 93-metre BAM variant optimised for patrol missions.
