Buque de Acción Marítima

The BAM (Buque de Acción Marítima) ships are new modular Offshore Patrol Vessels of the Spanish Navy adapted to different purposes from a common base, manufactured by Navantia. The BAMs combine high performance with mission versatility, a high commonality with other ships operated by the Spanish navy. Acquisition and lifecycle costs are reduced.

Description
The BAMs are a common platform for a variety of missions, used to develop whole families of types of ships that meet the diverse needs of the Navy.

Its main missions are:


 * Protection and escort of other ships in low intensity/asymmetric warfare situations
 * Control of maritime traffic
 * Control and neutralization of terrorism and piracy
 * Operations against drug trafficking and human trafficking
 * Search and rescue
 * Support for crisis situations and humanitarian aid
 * Control of fishing laws
 * Control of environmental legislation and anti-pollution.

Modular design enables the ships to be modified for purposes outside main missions such as hydrographic research, intelligence gathering, diving support and salvage operations.

History
Construction began on 4 October 2007 with the cutting of the first sheet and was placed on the stands the first on March 13, 2009, in the shipyard San Fernando. The budget was €352m for four units but the final cost was €488.4m.

In June 2009, the Secretary of State for Defence and Congress confirmed the construction of a second batch to replace older patrol boats of the Anaga (3), Toralla (2), Descubierta (4) and the now-retired Barceló (6) & Conejera (4) classes. In September 2010, the Ministry of Defence said a contract would be signed with Navantia for four additional vessels to be delivered by 2015, but the contract has yet to be signed. Navantia has indicated that the Batch 2 vessels will be more modular, with the potential to switch between oceanography, intelligence gathering and search-and-rescue. One will be a diving support vessel, and one will be a research vessel for hydrography and logistical support in the Antarctic.

Units
The first four ships were assigned these names and numbers:


 * BAM Meteoro
 * BAM Rayo
 * BAM Relampago
 * BAM Tornado