Navantia, formerly
Bazán or
IZAR, is a Spanish
shipbuildingShipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
firm, which offers its services to both military and civil sector. It is the fifth largest shipbuilder in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the ninth largest in the world with shipyards all over Spain.
History
Navantia's career started in 1730 with the creation of the historic military arsenals of Ferrol,
CartagenaCartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
and San Fernando, whose shipyards were designed to build and repair ships of the
Spanish NavyThe Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
.
In 1908 these shipyards became part of the
Sociedad Española de Construcción NavalFrom 1909 up until the Spanish Civil War, the naval construction in Spain was monopolized by the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval - also Spanish Society for Naval Construction was largely owned by the British , and therefore almost all ships were designed after Royal Navy vessels...
(also known as
La Naval) who also owned the civil shipyards of Matagorda and Sestao, subsequently incorporated into
Astilleros Españoles S.A. (AESA).
After the
Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the state took care of the military arsenals and in 1947 founded
Empresa Nacional Bazán, who was born as a shipbuilding company that relied on foreign technology. Subsequently, Bazan began developing its own draft ships.
IZAR (between 2000 and 2005) was founded in December 2000 following the merger of
Astilleros Españoles S.A. (AESA) and
Empresa Nacional Bazán.
In 2005 IZAR was taken over by the newly created company
Navantia.
The proposal by IZAR's owners, the state holding company
SEPISociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales is a large state-owned Spanish industrial holding company. It is the successor of Instituto Nacional de Industria. The company controls all stocks owned by the Spanish State...
, called for the separation of the company's military construction unit, its most profitable venture, from the civilian operation, which would be partially privatised. Izar had been in crisis since
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
authorities demanded in May 2004 that it repay 300 million
euroThe euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s (362 million dollars) of EU aid that Brussels regarded as having breached competition rules.
However, the company began to emerge from the crisis through numerous military and civilian contracts from various customers around the world.
Major projects
- Carriers
- R-11 Príncipe de Asturias
The Príncipe de Asturias , originally named Almirante Carrero Blanco, is an aircraft carrier, the flagship of the Spanish Navy...
- HTMS Chakri Naruebet
- Strategic Projection Ship
- AEGIS Frigates
The Aegis Combat System is an integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and now produced by Lockheed Martin...
- F-100 Álvaro de Bazán class frigate
The Álvaro de Bazán class are a new class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defense frigates entering service with the Spanish Navy...
- F-310 Fridtjof Nansen Class
The Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates are the main surface combatant units of the Royal Norwegian Navy. The ships are named after famous Norwegian explorers, with the lead ship of the class bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.Five ships were ordered...
- Hobart class destroyer
- Corvettes
- AEGIS Corvette
- Multirole Corvette
- Amphibious ships
- Strategic Projection Ships
- Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock
- LPD Ships
The Galicia class is a class of two 13,900 t landing platform dock ships, belonging to the Spanish Navy. Built in Ferrol, their mission is to carry amphibious warfare by transporting the bulk of the Infantería de Marina....
- LCM Amphibious Landing Crafts
- Patrol Ships
- Oceanic & Coast Patrol Ships (79 m, 99 m)
- Attack Patrol Ships (44 m, 47 m, 63 m)
- Maritime Action Ships
The BAM ships are new modular Offshore Patrol Vessels of the Spanish Navy adapted to different purposes from a common base, manufactured by Navantia. The BAMs combine high performance with mission versatility, a high commonality with other ships operated by the Spanish navy...
- Submarines
- S-80 class
The S-80 Class is a series of submarines of advanced technology that is currently under construction for the Spanish Navy. Initially there will be four units, with a future expansion to six, two of which are in production by the Spanish company Navantia at its factory in Cartagena...
- Combat and Control Systems
- Propulsion and Energy Generation Systems
- Shiprepair and Conversions
See also
- ASTANO
ASTANO or Astilleros y Talleres del Noroeste is a shipbuilding company based in Fene, Ferrolterra, Spain, which flourished during the 1960s and the early 1970s coinciding with the end of the Francisco Franco era and the arrival of democracy on the hands of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party...
- DCNS
- Ferrol, Spain
- Fene, Galicia
Fene is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, north-western Spain.- Economy :The Navantia Shipyards and services in the parts which are nearer Ferrol, the rest of the borough devotes itself to farming, agriculture and fishing.In the late 1960s the...
- Caribbean class patrol boat
The Guaiquerí class patrol vessels are a class of ocean patrol vessels or POVZEE in Venezuelan Navy service...
External links