Spanish Navy minesweeper to be repaired following grounding

A Spanish Navy warship that ran aground while assisting in an aircraft salvage effort in August 2019 is slated to undergo repairs that will enable it to return to full operational readiness.

State-owned shipbuilder Navantia has been selected to carry out the repairs on the minesweeper Turia under a contract valued at €25 million (US$28.3 million). Work on the vessel is expected to begin in the second half of 2020.

Navy officials said that the decision was made to repair the minesweeper after an evaluation of cost estimates showed it to be more economical than acquiring a new vessel.

Turia came to rest on a shallow area in Spain’s Murcia region on August 27, 2019, while it was helping recover a Spanish Air Force jet aircraft that had earlier crashed in the Mediterranean with its pilot still on board.

No injuries were reported among the crew. However, the vessel suffered a hull breach and water ingress that resulted in further damage to some of its onboard systems.