LONDON: The Royal Saudi Naval Fprces (RSNF) has floated His Majesty’s Ship Hail in Spanish waters at the Navantia shipyard in San Fernando, the Saudi defense ministry said on Wednesday. It is the third of five Avante 2200 corvettes, built for the RSNF by Spanish state-owned company Navantia as part of the Sarawat project, to be launched. The Avante 2000 ships include combat systems designed to deal with air, surface and subsurface threats, as well as electronic warfare, and are, the ministry said, “an addition to the capabilities of RSNF in protecting the Kingdom’s maritime capabilities and interests and localizing technically advanced military industries.” The first ship — Al-Jubail — was launched in in July last year, and the second — Diriya — was launched in November. They are part of a deal struck in 2018. Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghufaili, RSNF commander, said that launching His Majesty’s Ship Hail, named after the city in northern Saudi Arabia, is in line with the support provided by King Salman, the crown prince, and the deputy minister of defense. Al-Ghufaili said that the Sarawat project will contribute to raising the level of readiness of the RSNF, enhancing maritime security in the region and protecting the Kingdom’s vital strategic interests. Walid Abukhaled, CEO of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) said: “We are proud to witness another historic moment in the strategic partnership between SAMI, the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the Spanish company Navantia, and we are confident that the Hail corvette will be an important addition to the Saudi Navy’s fleet.” He added that the launch supports the efforts of the Public Investment Fund to localize knowledge and employ the latest technologies, in addition to building strategic economic partnerships through SAMI, which is committed to supporting the localization of 50 percent of the country’s military spending in line with Saudi Vision 2030.