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The Guzmán el Bueno X Brigade surprises in Cerro Muriano on the day of the Immaculate Conception with a gesture that marked the tribute
La Carraca Naval Base hosted the official event of the 50th anniversary of hydrographic ships “Malaspina” (A-31) And “Tofino” (A-32)two units that have supported official Spanish cartography for five decades. The tribute was chaired by the Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral José Enrique Delgado Roig, accompanied by the Commander-Director of the Naval Hydrographic InstituteCaptain Francisco Díaz Rodríguez, whose intervention was based on the principles of maritime safety included by the International Hydrographic Organization.
The Navy has confirmed that the renewal of the hydrographic fleet is already an ongoing project within the Maritime Action Force (FAM). The internal calendar places the operational replacement from 2030, but what is striking is the appearance of an economic forecast:more than 210 million euros for two new ships – what sources consulted at IHM admit is the “realistic threshold” for replacement with military-class sensors. This information was not included in the investment plans published so far.
Why are Malaspinas still essential to the Navy?
A veteran but technologically adapted platform
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Bathymetric systems | New generation multibeam, integrated in 2018-2021 |
| USV capacity | Operation with unmanned surface vehicles (USV) |
| Annual opening hours | Between 1,100 and 1,400, according to internal IHM reports |
Both units carried out hydrographic surveys in all areas of national maritime interest, with an average annual activity comparable to that of US Navy survey ships – according to reports from the Naval Oceanographic Office cited by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in 2022—. The introduction of USV has doubled the coverage of shallow waters, which hydrographers describe as “the most effective jump in 20 years.”
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Cartagena accelerates an unexpected project on the coast: what the old batteries revealed changes the scenario
The human dimension of half a century of service
- The captain of the ship Juan Nodar Criadocommander of the Malaspina between 1993 and 1995, was recognized for his role in the first modernization of the bathymetric system.
- The officer Fernando Manzanedo Gutierrezwith an uninterrupted stay since 2009 in Tofiño, received a mention for having accumulated the greatest on-board experience of the IHM.
- The sailor Mireya Mel Rodalthe youngest crew, symbolizes the generational transition of hydrographic equipment.
What does the arrival of the new survey vessels mean for Spain?
The future hydrographic class, as yet unnamed, will be designed to operate autonomous sensors, integrate real-time hydro-oceanic intelligence and support extended campaigns of up to 80 days. A guideline of US Department of Defense for its similar vessels, cited in 2023, concludes that “the fusion of ocean and satellite data reduces navigation risks in coastal operations by 35%”. The Navy aspires to this standard.
From an industrial perspective, Navantia It must make the project compatible with the schedule of the F-110 and the second BAM series. The FAM commanders admit that the hydrographic relay conditions not only the cartographic capacity, but also the Spanish contribution to the NATOwhich has required since 2024 greater interoperability in investigations of critical ports and access to allied bases.
The “Malaspina” and the “Tofiño” – born in the middle of the Cold War and fully active in 2025 – face their final years of service with a measurable legacy: more than 50 revised nautical charts, three generations of trained hydrographers and a reliability that the IHM describes as “difficult to reproduce without an industrial leap”. Its replacement will set the course for Spanish maritime capacity for the next three decades.
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