The Qatari defense ministry has taken delivery of its fourth and final Al Zubarah-class corvette built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri under a contract from 2016.
Delivered on May 16 at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard, the final corvette has been named Semaisma. The milestone delivery comes after the ship was launched in March last year.
Qatar received the first three ships in October 2021, April 2022 and December 2022, respectively.
In addition to the corvettes, Qatar will also receive two 63-meter offshore patrol vessels and a landing platform dock as part of the 4-billion euro contract. The Al Fulk landing platform dock (LPD) being built for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces hit the water earlier this year.
Also referred to as the Doha-class, the corvettes will be 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, and equipped with a combined diesel and diesel plant (CODAD), with a maximum speed of 28 knots. They will be able to accommodate 112 persons on board and operate 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.
Leonardo-Finmeccanica is delivering main radars and on-board sensors and defense sub-systems, including 76/62 medium caliber and 30mm small caliber weapon systems, an anti-torpedo protection system and the Thesan mine avoidance sonar which is installed at the bow of the surface units. Additionally, the ships feature a RIM-116 RAM (rolling airframe missile) system.
MBDA will be responsible for delivering missile systems for the ships, which, according to the vertical launch cells seen on an illustration of the Al Zubarah shared by Fincantieri, could include Exocet missiles. MBDA is also delivering coastal defense systems to Qatar under a separate contract.
