OPV-70

Royal Moroccan Navy Bir Anzaran OPV-70 patrol vessel

Class overview
Name| OPV-70
Builders|

* Raidco Marine Lorient
* STX France SA

Operators|  Royal Moroccan Navy
Built| 2008–present
In service| 2011–present
Planned| 4
Completed| 1
Active| 1
General characteristics
Class and type| Bir Anzaran class
Type| offshore patrol vessel
Displacement| 800 tonnes
Length| 70 m
Beam| 11,3 m
Draught| 3,25 m
Installed power| 8.16 MW (5 500 cv)
Propulsion| 2 x Wärtsilä 12V26 diesel engines
Speed| 22 knots (41 km/h)
Range| 4200 Nm (7780 km) @ 12 knots
Endurance| 15 days
Boats & landing
craft carried| Fast intervention craft on the deck
Complement| 64 officers; ratings 4 pax
Sensors and
processing systems| Surface search: DECCA Bridgemaster II radar
Armament|

* 1 × Otobreda 76 mm
* 1 × Bofors 40mm
* 2 × 14,5 mm MG
* 2 × 12,7 mm MG

Aviation facilities| helicopter landing pad / no hangar

OPV-70 [1] is an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Royal Moroccan Navy, designed by Raidco Marine and built at STX France SA.

The first vessel received, was named after the Battle of Bir Anzaran, between the Polisario Front and Royal Armed Forces in 1979.

## Definition of the Equipment and requirements[edit]

The main mission is the surveillance of Moroccan EEZ and control of fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean, with secondary roles including detecting illegal immigration, smuggling and drug trafficking and supporting counter terrorism and search and rescue patrols along Moroccan coasts.

Bir Anzaran is the first in a series, which will include three more units: P342, P343 and P344 with an option for two more.[2] The Moroccan EM (Etat Major) now discuss the purchase of a more sophisticated and advanced version for the three last ships to be built.

Its hull is made of steel and aluminum structures, for a displacement of 800 tonnes with a maximum speed of 22 knots.[3]

It received its weapons at the port of Casablanca:[3]

* x1 Otobreda 76 mm
* x1 Bofors 40mm
* 2 x 14,5 mm MG
* 2 x 12,7 mm MG

## Ships [4][edit]

Pennant no. | Name | Launched | Commissioned | Status

|
|
|
|

P-341  | Bir Anzaran  | 25 Aug 2010  | 23 June 2011  | In service
P-342  |  |  |  | Under construction.
P-343  |  |  |  | Under construction.
P-344  |  |  |  | Under construction.

## References[edit]

1. ^ STX Europe main page
2. ^ Janes Navy International
3. ^ a b Specifications for Bir Anzaran (OPV 70) class Offshore Patrol Vessel, on seaforces
4. ^ GlobalSecurity – Moroccan Navy equipment

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Military of Morocco

Leadership|

| Civilian|

* King of Morocco (Supreme Commander and Chief-of-Staff)
* Abdellatif Loudiyi (Minister-Delegate for the Administration of National Defense)

|

Military|

* General Belkhir El Farouk (Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces)

Branches|

|  Royal Moroccan Army|

Commander: General Belkhir El Farouk

|

Royal Moroccan Navy|

Commander: Vice Admiral Mohamed Laghmari

Royal Moroccan Air Force|

Commander: General Ahmed Boutaleb

Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie|

Commander: General Housni Benslimane

Auxiliary Forces|

Commanders:
General Hamidou Laanigri (southern division), Haddou Hajjar (northern division)

Moroccan Royal Guard|

Commander: General Mimoun Mansouri

Military Intelligence|

* Abdelfattah Lourak (Commander of the Third Bureau)
* General Mohamed Maïche (Commander of the Fifth Bureau)

Former commanders|

* Bouchaib Arroub
* Abdelaziz Bennani
* Abdelhak El Kadiri
* Mohamed Achahbar
* Ahmed Dlimi
* Mohamed Oufkir
* Mohamed Bachir El Bouhali
* Driss Ben Omar
* Benhammou Kettani

Operations and history|

* History
* Moroccan Army of Liberation
* Moroccan Goumier
* Black Guard
* Wars involving Morocco
* Battles involving Morocco
* Morocco in World War II

Equipment|

| Land|

* List of equipment of the Royal Moroccan Army

|

Sea|

* List of ships of the Royal Moroccan Navy
* Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah
* Abou El Barakat Al Barbari
* Lieutenant Colonel Errhamani
* Tariq ibn Ziyad
* Commandant Al Khattabi

Air|

* List of aircraft and armament of the Royal Moroccan Air Force
* Marche Verte

* Category
* Commons

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Moroccan security forces

Military|

* Ministry of Defense
* Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie
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* Royal Moroccan Armed Forces
* Army
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* Moroccan Royal Guard

Law enforcement|

* Ministry of Interior
* Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN) (Sûreté Nationale, the National Police)
* Moroccan Auxiliary Forces
* Urban Security Groups (defunct)

Intelligence|

* Directorate for Research and Documentation (DGED)
* Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST)

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Ship classes of the Royal Moroccan Navy

Frigates|

* FREMM frigate
* Floréal class

Corvettes|

* FMMM
* Descubierta class

Offshore patrol vessels|

* OPV-70
* OPV-64
* Osprey 55 class
* Lazaga class
* Cormoran class
* PR-72P class

Landing vessels|

* BATRAL LST

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