Friday, May 24, 2013

Ooops, that was a costly mistake!

The Spanish navy commissioned four new conventional submarines at a cost of 2.2 billion euros. The first of these, built in Cartagena by Navantia was due to be delivered in March 2015. However, due to miscalculations at the engineering stage, the sub will be at least 75 tons overweight and will not be able to surface after submerging.

The company are seeking help from abroad to redesign the vessel. The estimated cost of the necessary extension, which will take two year to complete, is 7.5 million euros per metre.

In the meantime, the navy will have to continue using its ageing submarine fleet at a cost of 15 million euros per year. That must make a large dent in the Ministry of Defence budget which has been slashed by 30% since the start of the economic crisis.  

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