First Ghannatha class missile boat launched in Abu Dhabi

The first Ghannatha class missile boat for the UAE Navy to have been built in Abu Dhabi was launched yesterday at the Abu Dhabi Ship Building yard in Mussafah.

The first Ghannatha class missile boat for the UAE Navy to have been built in Abu Dhabi was launched yesterday at the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) yard in Mussafah.

The first Ghannatha class missile boat for the UAE Navy to have been built in Abu Dhabi was launched yesterday at the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) yard in Mussaffah.

Al Muroom is the fourth ship in the new class, the first three vessels were built by ADSB’s partner, Swedeship Marine.

The UAE Navy has ordered 12 of the new boats, based on the design of its successful Ghannatha class inshore troop carriers.

Under the Dh935 million (US$254.5m) contract, ADSB will build nine missile boats and retrofit the 12 existing ADSB-built Ghannatha troop carriers into gunboats and mortar boats.

Designed by Swedeship, the 26.5 metre-long vessels will be delivered in three batches, each with a different weapons configuration.

Weapons-system integration for all three different configurations of the vessel will be undertaken by Abu Dhabi Systems Integration (ADSI), a UAE joint venture company formed in 2006 by ADSB and Selex Sistemi Integrati of Italy.

The aluminium-hulled boats will be powered by twin MTU marine diesel engines coupled to Rolls-Royce FF-series waterjets that will give a maximum speed of in excess of 35 knots, excellent manoeuvrability, and the ability to operate in extremely shallow waters, said an ADSB spokesman.

“These highly sophisticated vessels will provide considerable defensive firepower support for the UAE Naval Forces,” he said.

“The Ghannatha Phase 2 programme for the UAE Navy is one of the most significant programmes currently under construction in the region.

“The vessel’s outfit includes the latest propulsion/auxiliary systems and also the latest state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and combat management system making it one of the most compact small-size naval fighting platforms available.”

The vessels will be delivered to the Navy in in a rolling programme with final delivery of the last missile boat scheduled for 2014, and ADSB is seeking to export the design to other navies in the region.

“This project has potentially redefined inshore naval capability concepts,” said ADSB chief executive’s Mohamed Salem Al Junaibi. “We believe that having a vessel under 30 metres fitted with a guns and a missile system will undoubtedly gain popularity for other regional operators.”

ADSB operates the most modern naval shipyard in the Arabian Gulf, and is the only shipyard in the region with the capability to build, refit, repair and upgrade complex naval warships. It employs more than 1,200 people.

The company, established in 1996, is listed in Abu Dhabi, with 40 per cent of its shares owned by Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government.