Navantia bags Spain-based US destroyer maintenance contract extension

Spanish shipbuilder Navantia announced it has received a contract extension for the maintenance of four US Navy destroyers forward-deployed to the Spanish Navy base Rota.

The original contract first entered into force in November 2013 and includes one-year extension options until November 2020.

According to the shipbuilder, the contract is worth EUR57 million and will provide over 1,000 direct jobs.

Situated on a 6,100-acre Spanish Navy base, the US Navy-funded NAVSTA Rota provides cargo, fuel and logistics support to units transiting the region, supporting US and NATO ships with three active piers. Under the guidance of the Agreement on Defense Cooperation (ADC), the US and Spanish navies work together and share many of the facilities.

The station hosts four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers — USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Ross (DDG 71), and USS Carney (DDG 64).