Spain addresses future submarine rescue requirement
A new submarine rescue ship for the Spanish Navy will replace Neptuno (pictured). (Photo: Spanish Navy)
Navantia will deliver a new submarine rescue vessel for the Spanish Navy by mid-2025.
The Spanish MoD on 5 November signed a contract for Navantia to build a new submarine rescue vessel at its Puerto Real shipyard.
The Buque de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS) will replace the Neptuno, which is nearing the end of its service life with the Spanish Navy.
While the value of the deal (announced on the final day of the FEINDEF exhibition in Madrid) was not disclosed, the MoD stated that it expects the new vessel to be delivered in 42 months’ time.
The contract covers construction of the new vessel plus the acquisition and integration of underwater intervention equipment.
‘The integration of the systems, sensors and equipment it [BAM-IS] must carry to address its wide range of missions will mean a new technological advance for Navantia,’ the MoD added.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS) [Spain]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
Poseidón - Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS)
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Shoreline vulnerability drives Gulf interest in USV networks]()
Shoreline vulnerability drives Gulf interest in USV networks
Ukraine’s combat-proven Magura uncrewed surface vessel is attracting Gulf state interest as the Iran war exposes gaps in layered maritime air defence, raising questions about whether low-cost attritable systems can gain a foothold in a procurement culture historically drawn to high-end Western platforms.
-
![Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win]()
Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win
Naval Group has secured a contract to supply four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention frigates to the Royal Swedish Navy, extending the French naval industry’s reach into Northern Europe and showing why speed to capability has become the defining criterion in today’s defence procurement contests.
-
![SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations]()
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
![SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
