On 8 October the Cartagena Shipyard celebrated the setting afloat of the second Scorpene class submarine that is being built in conjunction with the French company DCNS for the Royal Malaysian Navy. The submarine was christened by the country’s Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah.

The ceremony was also attended by the King of Malaysia, the country’s Vice-Minister for Defence, the Spanish Secretary of State for Defence, the Government Delegate in Murcia, the Mayoress of Cartagena and the Chairman of Navantia, among other leading figures. The Vice-Minister and the Chairman both gave speeches in which they agreed on setting the basis for future collaboration.

The Hispano-Franco consortium formed by Navantia and DCNS signed the contract on 12 June 2002 with the Malaysian Navy for the construction of two Scorpene submarines. The programme meant that Navantia was to build the aft section and DNCS, the fore. The first submarine was assembled at the French shipyard in Cherbourg and the second one at the Spanish Shipyard in Cartagena. This shipyard builds modular sections that are subsequently put together to form the stern.

In the case of the first Scorpene, Navantia dispatched the stern to Cherbourg in February 2007 for it then to be linked to the fore that had been built there. This unit was set afloat in Cherbourg in October 2007 and its delivery is planned for next January.