Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has handed over the second of four corvettes to the Israeli Navy, the company announced today. The ceremony, which was kept small due to the pandemic, took place in the presence of Jeremy Issacharoff, the Israeli ambassador to Germany, and his wife, Laura Kam Issacharoff, who named the ship INS OZ. In the world of shipping, it is a favoured tradition to pass on the names of good ships. With the Israeli Navy, however, INS OZ is the first vessel to receive this name.

The SA’AR 6 class corvettes will form the backbone of the Israeli Navy for the next 30 years. TKMS is building the ships in a joint venture with German Naval Yards Kiel after the contract for the delivery of four vessels was signed in May 2015. After the design phase, the construction phase began, starting in February 2018. Only 15 months after the first steel was cut, the ship was undocked. In May 2019, the INS MAGEN was named in Kiel and handed over in November 2020. The following two units of the series are also scheduled for delivery in 2021. The Israeli Navy is equipping the corvettes with radar and weapon systems itself.

Jack Richardson