TRIESTE – Navantia is strengthening its bid for the Croatian Navy’s new corvette programme by involving local industry. The Spanish shipbuilding group has signed two memoranda of understanding in Zagreb with the Croatian shipyard Uljanik Brodogradnja 1856 (Pula-Istria) and with Nortes Blue.
The agreements define a framework for strategic cooperation to present an integrated offer to the Croatian Ministry of Defence.
The signing took place at the Spanish Embassy in Zagreb, in the presence of Spanish ambassador José Ramón García Hernández. The memoranda confirm the commitment already made by the parties last March with the signing of letters of intent.
According to Navantia, the project aims to make significant use of the Croatian industrial supply chain. The proposed model provides for the direct involvement of Nortes Blue in design, engineering and industrial coordination activities, while Uljanik (Scoglio Olivi) would provide its construction expertise and the infrastructure of the Pula shipyard for the construction and outfitting of the units.
The aim is to offer not only a proven naval platform, but also to generate industrial benefits for the territory through skilled employment, transfer of know-how and development of the local supply chain.
The proposal submitted to the Croatian Navy is based on the Avante 2200/ALFA 3000 platform, a corvette already developed by Navantia and compliant with NATO standards. The Spanish company stresses that this is an existing and extensively tested solution, capable of reducing development risks, accelerating delivery times and simplifying support activities throughout the vessel’s life cycle.
During the ceremony, Navantia’s commercial director for Europe and Turkey, Alfonso Valea, reiterated the company’s intention to integrate the Croatian industrial ecosystem permanently into the project. The memoranda signed with Uljanik and Nortes Blue represent the first step in a strategy aimed at further expanding cooperation with other companies in the national naval sector.
