Navantia today celebrated the naming ceremony of the Spanish Navy's new Underwater Intervention Maritime Action Vessel (BAM-IS), A-21 Poseidón.
The ceremony follows the successful float-out of the vessel earlier this week at Navantia's Puerto Real shipyard and marks a major milestone in a programme that will significantly strengthen the Spanish Navy's submarine rescue, diving support and underwater intervention capabilities.
Designed as the successor to the Navy's rescue and salvage vessel Neptuno, Poseidón will become the service's primary platform for underwater operations. The programme was launched in response to the operational requirements associated with the S-80 submarine fleet, ensuring dedicated support and rescue capabilities for submarine crews throughout their operational life.
The BAM-IS combines a wide range of advanced systems within a single platform. It will be able to deploy a submarine rescue vehicle and conduct underwater inspection and intervention missions using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) at depths of up to 3,000 metres.
The vessel has been designed to perform deep-water underwater intervention using mixed-gas diving systems, underwater repair operations, recovery of submerged objects, search and identification missions, hyperbaric treatment of diving accidents, protection of underwater archaeological heritage, and support to conventional naval operations. It will also play an important role in the training and certification of Spanish Navy diving units, including support to the Military Diving School.
Certified for Allied Rescue Systems
One of the programme's most significant achievements is the vessel's MOSHIP certification, making Poseidón the first ship in the Spanish Navy capable of serving as a mother ship for both NATO's NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) and the United States Navy's Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS). This capability strengthens Spain's contribution to allied submarine rescue operations and enhances interoperability with NATO and partner navies.
Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy, Admiral Antonio Piñeiro, highlighted the programme as "a clear demonstration of commitment to national technological development" and underlined the value of cooperation between the Navy and Spanish industry, noting that “such collaboration constitutes a strategic capability in its own right".
Speaking at the ceremony, Ricardo Domínguez, Chairman of Navantia, said: "Poseidón possesses capabilities that make her truly unique. She is the result of the close collaboration between Navantia, the Ministry of Defence and the Spanish Navy to ensure that Spain maintains advanced and adaptable defence capabilities in an increasingly demanding strategic environment. The vessel also reflects our commitment to the Navy 2050 Plan and to strengthening both European defence and strategic autonomy."
The vessel was sponsored by María Dolores Higueras Rodríguez, Spain's first underwater archaeologist, whose career has been closely linked to the exploration and preservation of the country's underwater heritage.
Construction of the BAM-IS began in 2021. With the naming of A-21 Poseidón, the programme reaches another key milestone towards delivering one of the most advanced underwater intervention and submarine rescue vessels in service with a European navy.
B-roll footage available here: