Royal Moroccan Navy

The Royal Moroccan Navy of Morocco (Arabic: القوات البحرية الملكية المغربية) is a branch of the military of Morocco responsible for conducting naval operations. The Royal Moroccan Navy is administratively managed by the Administration of Defence, which is (de facto) commanded by King Mohammed VI, the commander-in-chief of the Moroccan Armed Forces.

Royal Moroccan Navy
القوات البحرية الملكية المغربية
Flag of the Royal Moroccan Navy
Founded	11th century
Country	Morocco
Type	Navy
Size	7,800 personnel (includes 1,500 Marines)[1]
Part of	Royal Moroccan Armed Forces
Headquarters	Rabat
Anniversaries	April 1st (foundation)
Equipment	121 vessels 17 aircraft
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	King Mohammed VI
Inspector General of the Navy	Vice-Admiral Mostapha El Alami
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Aircraft flown
Helicopter	AS565 Panther

Mission

The Royal Moroccan Navy is part of the Moroccan Armed Forces. Its mission includes the protection of Moroccan territory and sovereignty, as well as the control of Morocco's 81,000-square-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Given Morocco's significant coastline (2,952 km) and strategic position overseeing the Strait of Gibraltar, it (along with Spain and the United Kingdom) is deeply involved in the security of this important international waterway.

History

The history of the modern Royal Moroccan Navy began in 1960 with its foundation by King Mohammed V. The first admiral of the modern Moroccan Navy was Vice Admiral Mohammed Triki, who held the position as the Commander in Chief of the Royal Moroccan Navy for 14 years from 1991 to 2005, and devoted 46 years of services to the Moroccan Navy. Vice Admiral Triki was awarded these decorations: (from Morocco) Legion of the Order of Commander, Knight of the Order of the Throne by his majesty King Hassan II; (from France) Legion of Honor by President Jacques Chirac; (from USA) Legion of Merit by President Bill Clinton; and (from Spain) Legion of Merit. Although the modern Royal Navy was structured following independence, the Moroccan naval military traces its roots back to the 11th century, with the rise of the Almoravid dynasty, and its ambition for naval hegemony in the Mediterranean Sea. Admiral Abdullah Ben Meimoun is credited for being the first commander of the Almoravid dynasty organized naval forces. With the Almohad dynasty taking over most of northern Africa, together with Al-Andalus, the Almohad dynasty navy soon became the "first fleet of the Mediterranean".^[2] At its peak, the Almohad navy's military reputation was well known, inciting Ayyubid dynasty Egypt and Saladin to seek its help in preventing Crusades expeditions. The 16th century had the starting decline of the Moroccan state and consequently the navy that served it. The capture of major coastal cities and locations by Spain and Portugal significantly affected Morocco's naval capabilities.

Ranks

Main article: Military ranks of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces

Officers

Rank group	General/Flag/Air officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Royal Moroccan Navy[3] v t e
			Amiral		Vice-amiral d'escadre		Vice-amiral		Contre-amiral		Capitaine de vaisseau-major	Capitaine de vaisseau	Capitaine de frégate		Capitaine de corvette		Lieutenant de vaisseau		Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe			Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe

Enlisted

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Royal Moroccan Navy[3] v t e																																			No insignia
	Maître principal						Premier maître		Maître		Second-maître de 1ère classe						Second-maître de 2ème classe						Quartier-maître de 1ère classe				Quartier-maître de 2ème classe		Matelot de 1ère classe						Matelot

Bases

The main bases of the Royal Moroccan Navy are located in:

• Casablanca
• Al Hoceima
• Dakhla
• Agadir
• Ksar Sghir
• Laayoune
• Tangier

Equipment

Warships

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Origin	Year Commissioned	Note
Frigates (6)
FREMM		701	Mohammed VI	France/ Italy	2014	ASW version[4]
Floréal		611	Mohammed V	France	2002
		612	Hassan II	France	2002
Sigma		613	Tarik Ben Ziyad	Netherlands	2011	Sigma 10513 version (Frigate)[5][6]
		614	Sultan Moulay Ismail	Netherlands	2012	Sigma 9813 version (multi mission frigate)
		615	Allal Ben Abdellah	Netherlands	2012	Sigma 9813 Version (multi mission frigate)
Corvettes (1)
Descubierta		501	Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani	Spain	1983	Updated in 2014[7]
Missile boats (4)
Lazaga		304	El Khattabi	Spain	1981
		305	Commandant Boutouba	Spain	1981
		306	Commandant El Harty	Spain	1982
		307	Commandant Azouggarh	Spain	1982
Patrol boats (18)
OPV-70		341	Bir Anzaran	France	2011	4 under construction
OPV-64		318	Raïs Bargach	France	1995
		319	Raïs Britel	France	1996
		320	Raïs Charkaoui	France	1996
		321	Raïs Maaninou	France	1997
		322	Raïs Al Mounastiri	France	1997
Osprey 55		308	El Lahiq	Denmark	1987
		309	El Tawfiq	Denmark	1988
		316	El Hamiss	Denmark	1990
		317	El Karib	Denmark	1990
Cormoran		310	Lieutenant De Vaisseau Rabhi	f	1988
		311	Errachiq		1988
		312	El Akid		1989
		313	El Maher		1989
		314	El Majid		1989
		315	El Bachir		1989
PR-72		302	Okba	France	1976
		303	Triki	France	1977
Damen Interceptor 1503		1-5	TBD	Netherlands	2016	5 under construction for Coast Guard Duties, capable of 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph)
Fearless 36			12 Boats

Amphibious and auxiliary vessels

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Year commissioned	Note
Amphibious ships
BATRAL		402	Daoud Ben Aicha	1977
		403	Ahmed Es Sakali	1977
		404	Abou Abdallah El Ayachi	1978
LCT		409	Sidi Ifni		Landing craft tank[8]
Support ships
Hydrographic and oceanographic boat		804	Dar Al Beida	2018	Used to chart the underwater coastal area[9]
Ad Dakhla CLS		408	Daoud Ben Aicha	1997	Cargo ship which has a displacement of 2100 tons[10]
Hydrographic research boat		H-01	H-01	2011	Used to chart the underwater coastal area.
Damen Stan Tug 2208		A2	Al Mounkid	2015	Coastal & harbour tug[11]
BBP		803	BBP		Submariner training ship

Inshore patrol vessels

• P-32
  • El Wacil (203)
  • El Jail (204)
  • El Mikdam (205)
  • El Khafir (206)
  • El Haris (207)
  • Essahir (208)
  • Erraid (209)
  • Erraced (210)
  • El Kaced (211)
  • Essaid (212)
• VCSM/RPB 20 (107-116)
• Rodman-101 (130-139)
• Arcor-46 (D01-D18) In Service with Moroccan Customs
• 15 Arcor-53 In Service with Moroccan Gendarmerie
• 2 Griffon 500TD hovercraft In service with Moroccan Gendarmerie
• 10 Rodman-55
• 10 Arcor-17
  • • No boats of this class have been built yet. Russia has offered the sub for sale to India, but in 2005, India ordered Scorpène-class submarines instead. On 4 July 2013, Rosoboronexport announced they will offer the Amur 1650 to the Moroccan Navy if they announce a tender for new submarines.[5]

Aircraft

Main article: List of active Moroccan military aircraft

Aircraft	Photo	Origin	Mission	In Service	Note
Maritime patrol aircraft
Britten-Norman Defender		United Kingdom	Maritime patrol aircraft	14	Operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force
Beech King Air		United States	Maritime patrol aircraft	4[12]	Two more were delivered in 2020. They are all of the 350ER versions
Helicopters
Eurocopter AS565 MA		France	Naval Military utility	3	Operated by the Royal Moroccan Navy
Bell 412 MA		United States	Anti-submarine helicopter	24	24 ordered by the Royal Moroccan Navy

Notable sailors

Abdelkader Perez, Admiral and an ambassador to England in 1723.

• Abdellah Ben Soleïman, commander of the Almohad fleet under sultan Abd al-Mu'min.
• Abdellah Ben Taâ Allah, commander of the Almohad fleet under Muhammad an-Nasir and governor of Majorca.
• Abdellah Ben Aïcha, admiral of Salé, ambassador to king Louis XIV of France in 1689.
• Abdelkader Perez, ambassador to England in 1723 and again in 1737.
• Corsair Triki of Salé, 17th century.
• Vice Admiral Mohammed Triki of Safi, Commander in Chief of the Royal Moroccan Navy from July 1991 to June 2005.

Gallery

• 
  Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
• 
  Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
• 
  Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
• 
  Floréal class Mohammed V
• 
  OPV-64 Raïs Al Mounastiri
• 
  OPV-64 Rais Charkaoui
• 
  AS565 MA Panther of the RMN
• 
  Eurocopter AS565 MA Panther of the RMN
• 
  Lazaga class Commandant Azouggarh
• 
  BATRAL LST Abou Abdallah El Ayachi
• 
  Newport class Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (inactive)
• 
  Moroccan Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) team during multi-national exercise Phoenix Express 2007.
• 
  Marines from Morocco during exercise Phoenix Express 2009.
• 
  Moroccan sailors conduct boarding exercises.
• 
  Moroccan maritime interdiction operations team on basic close quarter battle training in Exercise Phoenix Express 2010.

See also

• Military of Morocco