The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has given a call of attention to the public shipyards of Navantia, because the delays in the S-80 Program of new submarines for the Navy, especially those involved in the manufacture of the S-82 'Narciso Monturiol ', “exceed what is reasonable.” She recognized this this Monday during a visit to the Navy's Flotilla, Base and Submarine School, located in the Cartagena Arsenal, where she received the discomfort of the sailors involved in said project. In addition, she learned the reason for the delays (lack of labor and supplies) during an interview with members of the works council of the Cartagena shipyard.
Robles transferred the heads of the Flotilla, whose commander is Captain Pedro Márquez de la Calleja, who will immediately ask the management of Navantia to make “a special effort” to accelerate the manufacturing work of the second of the four submarines. of Series 80. What's more, from Cartagena he forced a meeting for this same Monday afternoon in Madrid between the Secretary of State for Defense, Amparo Valcarce, and the president of Navantia, Ricardo Domínguez, to convey this concern and seek solutions to the problem in one of the strategic projects of the Spanish military industry.
«I'm going to be very honest. “I am a little worried about the delays,” said the minister before the crews of the 'Isaac Peral' (S-81) submarines, already in the commissioning phase, and the 'Narciso Monturiol' (S-82). And she recalled that with this project “we have a lot at stake” and that “it is very late.” The four submarines of the S-80 Program are not only essential for the renewal and modernization of the Navy's meager flotilla, made up of a single ship that is four decades old and has many technical limitations for navigation. The naval industry has placed many hopes in this national design as a product for export. But the delays only cause operational problems for the Spanish Navy and prestige problems for potential buyers.
Second team almost formed
With the 'Isaac Peral' delivered last November and in the commissioning phase before its entry into service, scheduled for a year from now, the 'Narciso Monturiol' remains under construction at the Navantia Cartagena shipyard. The worrying thing is that the keel crew of this second ship, whose commander is Lieutenant Commander Damián Niebla, will finish its training period next July and will immediately be available to sail. By then it is very likely that Navantia will not have finished closing the ship's resistant hull, an operation scheduled for the end of 2023. The minister acknowledged that it will not be possible to float it this year or deliver it next year. Niebla said he did not know how much the delay is or what dates are planned, since Navantia is recalculating the entire manufacturing process of the S-82 to establish new dates for the manufacturing milestones, launching and sea trials necessary until its delivery. to the Navy.
The Navantia Cartagena works council, chaired by Eusebio Martínez, reminded the minister that the main reason for the delays in the new submarines is the lack of qualified labor for their manufacture. Union members estimate that at least four hundred qualified workers are needed to update the program and more to handle possible international orders. They also denounced the breach of the company's agreement and expressed the commitment of the entire staff to the new submarines, because they are aware that it is the present and future of their shipyard, sources from the committee indicated.
#Robles #asks #Navantia #explanations #Cartagena #delays #S80 #submarines #truth
