The delivery of the second OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessels) "Sheraouh," which the Qatari Ministry of Defence had ordered from Fincantieri as part of the country's naval acquisition programme, took place at the Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard in the presence of the Italian Minister of Defense, Hon. Lorenzo Guerini, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs of Qatar, H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah In addition to 2 OPVs, the roughly 4 billion euro programme also includes 4 Corvettes longer than 100 metres and 1 LPD (Landing Platform Dock).
Attending the event were, among others, Staff Major General Abdulla Bin Hassan Al Sulaiti, Commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, Vice Admiral Enrico Credendino, Chief of the Italian Navy, H.E. Khalid bin Yousef Al-Sada, Ambassador to the State of Qatar in Italy, H.E. Alessandro Prunas, Ambassador of Italy to Qatar and, for Fincantieri, the Chairman, Gen. Claudio Graziano, and the CEO and General manager Pierroberto Folgiero.
Like its sister-ship “Musherib”, delivered in January 2022, the OPV “Sheraouh”, has been designed in compliance with the RINAMIL for Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) rules and is a flexible type of ship capable of performing several services, from surveillance to combat functions. It is about 63 meters long, 9.2 meters wide, with a maximum speed of 30 knots and it accommodates as many as 38 of crew members.
Last May the keel laying of the LPD took place in Palermo, while in April Fincantieri has delivered “Damsah” in Muggiano, the second of 4 corvettes, all within the same program for Qatar.