History
Spain
NameServiola
NamesakeSpanish word for the cathead, a heavy piece of timber for holding an anchor in position[1][2]
BuilderNAVANTIA
Launched10 May 1990
Commissioned22 March 1991
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typeServiola-class patrol boat
Length67 m (219 ft 10 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Speed15.3 knots (28.3 km/h; 17.6 mph) max

Serviola (P-71) is the lead ship of the Serviola-class patrol boats of the Spanish Navy built in 1990. The ship has been involved in numerous anti-piracy and drug interdiction missions off the coast of Spain and in the Gulf of Guinea.

Description

Serviola measures 67 meters (219 ft 10 in) long, 10 meters (32 ft 10 in) wide, and has a draft of 3 meters (9 ft 10 in). It has an average speed of 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph) and a maximum speed of 15.3 knots (28.3 km/h; 17.6 mph).[3] In December 2021, the Spanish Navy announced that 12.7 mm "Guardian 30" naval weapons station would be installed aboard Serviola and several other patrol boats and frigates by the domestic company Escribano.[4][5]

History

In April 2019, Serviola detected an in-progress hijacking of a Nigerian merchant vessel by pirates. Upon the Serviola's approach the pirates fled, but they had been able to steal small valuables from the crew.[6] In May, Serviola was dispatched by Spanish authorities alongside a frigate from Equatorial Guinea to conduct an anti-piracy operation aboard the hijacked heavy-lift ship Blue Marlin. The Blue Marlin had been boarded by seven pirates using a zodiac boat on 5 May after unloading its cargo in the territorial waters of Equatorial Guinea. Serviola approached the Blue Marlin and seven embarked Spanish Marines boarded the vessel. They found that the pirates had left the crew unharmed, but had severely damaged the pilothouse before leaving. Serviola left the vicinity after it was arranged for a tug to assist Blue Marlin into safe harbor.[6][7] Serviola continued to operate in the Gulf of Guinea as an anti-piracy ship through the rest of 2019 and into 2020.[8]

In February 2021, Serviola was part of a drug interdiction mission in the Bay of Biscay. She intercepted the small bunkering tanker Nehir which was smuggling drugs off the Galician coast, sending a team from the National Police to board the ship. However, the smugglers had begun to scuttle their ship in order to prevent evidence of the drugs they were ferrying from falling into the hands of authorities. The National Police rescued the nine smugglers from the sinking ship, and also managed to seize over 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) of cocaine before the ship sank about two hours later.[9][10]

Serviola was involved in a minor incident between Spain and the United Kingdom in July 2020, when she transited through the territorial waters of Gibraltar for roughly 45 minutes before being escorted out by the Royal Navy vessel HMS Pursuer. The intrusion into their territorial waters drew criticism from several British maritime officials, who speculated that it was in response to newly imposed quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

In May 2022, Serviola brought the Spanish Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Rafael Ortiz, to the port city of Abidjan on a diplomatic mission. The ship was presented to Ivorian officials in an effort to improve bilateral relations between the two countries' navies to combat piracy in the region.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Army, United States Department of the (28 October 1950). "Technical Manual: TM" – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature. II". Ad. and Charles Black. 28 October 1875 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ "Sps Serviola - Other Ship, IMO 9098843, MMSI 224942000, Callsign EBBN, Flag Spain - vesseltracker.com". www.vesseltracker.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Egypt receives Guardian and Sentinel naval weapons stations". 6 December 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Escribano Sentinel RWS pass Peruvian Navy acceptance tests | Shephard". www.shephardmedia.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Photos: Spanish Navy Rescues Heavy Lift Ship from Pirates". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Voytenko, Mikhail (7 May 2019). "Dutch heavy lift ship attacked, freed by Spanish Navy". Fleetmon. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Maersk Boxship Boarded off West Africa". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Cocaine Smugglers Sink Their Own Ship to Evade Prosecution". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Narcos sink boat carrying three tonnes of cocaine off Galician coastline". murciatoday.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Sheridan, Danielle (31 July 2020). "Spanish warship triggers alert off Gibraltar". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "THE SPANISH PATROL BOAT, THE "SERVIOLA", CALLS AT THE ABIDJAN PORT | Port Autonome d'Abidjan". www.portabidjan.ci. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
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