VLISSINGEN, Netherlands, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the Netherlands has delivered the third and last Sigma class frigate ordered by Morocco.
The transferring of the Allal Ben Abdellah to the Moroccan navy last Saturday met schedule requirements, the company said, and was achieved within 4 1/2 years of the original contract signing for the vessels.
"The delivery of the last ship of a series of three marks the culmination of a period of dedicated and successful partnership with the Royal Moroccan Navy," the company said. "All three ships were delivered in time, on schedule, meeting all the requirements as stated in the contract to the full satisfaction of the customer."
Sigma class ships are modularly designed. They are about 297 feet long, almost 43 feet in the beam, and have a maximum speed of 28 knots. At 18 knots, its range is 3,600 nautical miles.
The first ship constructed for Morocco, the Tarik Ben Zayid was commissioned in September 2011; the second, the Sultan Moulay Ismail, was commissioned last March.
The new vessel will sail to Morocco from the Netherlands at the end of this month after sail safety training for its Moroccan crew.
