The Qatar Amiri Naval Forces received last Wednesday the Sumaysimah (F104) corvette arriving from Italy at the Umm Al Houl Naval Base, in the presence of Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces HE Staff Lieutenant-General (Pilot) Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al Nabit.
The Chief of Staff toured the ship and was briefed on its trip, sections and equipment. A lineup of Senior Armed Force Officers attended the reception ceremony of Sumaysimah (F104), Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
On 13 February 2021, the technical launch of the corvette “Damsah” and the keel laying of “Sumaysimah”, respectively the second and fourth of the Al Zubarah Class Corvette, took place at the Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard in Italy.
The corvettes were ordered to Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program with deliveries respectively in 2022 and 2023.
The ceremony, held in a restricted format and in full compliance with anti-contagion requirements, was attended by Major General Mubarak Mohammed A.K. Al-Khayarin, Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and Logistics Affairs for Qatar Armed Forces, Rear Admiral Giorgio Lazio, Italian Navy Maritime Commander - Area North, and Giuseppe Giordo, General Manager of the Naval Vessel Division of Fincantieri.
The units, designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules, will be highly flexible and capable of fulfilling different kinds of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capacities to being fighting vessels. They will be about 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, and equipped with a combined diesel and diesel plant (CODAD), with a maximum speed of 28 knots. The units will be able to accommodate 112 persons on board.
Furthermore, the corvettes will be capable of operating high-speed boats such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) through lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern. The flight deck and hangar are sized for hosting one NH90 helicopter, Fincantieri reported then.
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, the only one active in all high-tech marine industry sectors. It is leader in the construction and transformation of cruise, naval and oil & gas and wind offshore vessels, as well as in the production of systems and component equipment, after-sales services and marine interiors solutions. Thanks to the expertise developed in the management of complex projects, the Group boasts first-class references in infrastructures, and is a reference player in digital technologies and cybersecurity, electronics and advanced systems.
With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, Fincantieri maintains its know-how, expertise and management centres in Italy, here employing 10,000 workers and creating around 90,000 jobs, which double worldwide thanks to a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and with almost 21,000 employees. (QNA; Fincantieri; Photo © Qatar Amiri Naval Forces/QNA)
