Spanish Navy commissions fifth BAM ship ‘Audaz’

The Spanish Navy commissioned its fifth Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM) ship in a ceremony in San Fernando on July 27.

The ceremony was chaired by Ángel Olivares Ramírez, Secretary of State for Defense, with the head of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and other government and shipbuilder officials in attendance.

BAM Audaz – which translates to bold or audacious – entered service after being launched at Navantia’s Cadiz shipyard in March 2017.

The modular offshore patrol vessel is the fifth of overall nine units the Spanish Navy plans to acquire and the first from the second batch of ships in the class.

The first four ships – Meteoro, Rayo, Relámpago and Tornado – were ordered in 2006 and delivered by 2012.

Audaz (P-45), and sister ship Furor (P-46), are built under a contract signed between the government and Navantia in November 2014.

The OPVs are 96 meters long and displace 2,500 tones. They accommodate a crew of 86 and have a SH 60B ‘Seahawk’ helicopter embarked.

Audaz and its crew will joining other vessels in its class in combating terrorist and piracy activities, drug interdiction and prevention of human trafficking. The ships also contribute to maritime rescue and salvage operations, humanitarian assistance, and fisheries and pollution control.