It is not exactly a patrol vessel nor a corvette, nor is it an oceanographic ship… but it is all three at once, depending on the day and the mission. The Maritime Action Ship (BAM) is the Spanish response to a problem that almost no other navy has solved in the same way: instead of building a different ship for each task, Navantia designed a single hull (the Avante 3000 platform) and modulated it according to what the Navy needed at any given time.
The result is the six BAMs of the Meteoro class that Spain has had operational since 2011: Meteoro, Rayo, Relámpago, Tornado, Audaz, and Furor. On paper, they are high-seas patrol vessels of about 2,500 tons and 94 meters in length. In practice, they are ships that have done it all: fishery surveillance, anti-drug trafficking operations, border control, support for operations like Atalanta off Somalia, and even hydrographic versions with scientific laboratories on board to map the seabed.
The Poseidon, the missing piece alongside the S-80
Now the family is growing with the Poseidon, which was floated for the first time last Friday in Puerto Real (Cádiz). It is the first of four new BAMs that the Navy has underway. It is the Submarine Intervention version (BAM-IS) replacing the veteran Neptuno as a submarine rescue ship, equipped with a hyperbaric chamber and drones capable of operating at 3,000 meters depth, and it is directly linked to the entry into service of the S-80. Without a ship like this, each new submarine that Spain puts into the water has less margin if something goes wrong under the surface. Following the Poseidon will be two more BAMs with profiles yet to be confirmed and a naval intelligence project (AGI) that will replace the Alerta ship.
BAMs 7 and 8 leave behind the analog generation
The six Meteoro ships are good patrol vessels, but analog compared to what is coming: the Poseidon and its twin will incorporate the new SCOMBA combat system, tactical integration of unmanned vehicles, advanced communications and navigation, and a leap in cybersecurity that the first six do not have.
Added to this is diesel-electric hybrid propulsion, a maximum speed of 21 knots, and more than 7,700 miles of autonomy, along with improvements in medical facilities and more capacity to transport embarked forces: a crew of 50 people with space for another 36.
The Spanish Ministry of Defense has not announced that these two ships will have a specialized mission, but the integration of unmanned systems opens a door that was not in the original design: for the BAM to cease being just a patrol platform and start operating as a node of a distributed naval force, coordinating surface and submarine drones instead of just monitoring them from the deck.
- A-21 Poseidón, the Spanish Navy’s new BAM-IS. Navantia
MOSHIP certification and connection with NATO
One of the most relevant elements of the Poseidon is its future certification as MOSHIP, which will allow it to be used as a support platform for international submarine rescue systems.
The Navy points out that it will be the first Spanish ship with this certification to act as the mother ship of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) and the U.S. Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS).
The NSRS is a multinational capability developed jointly by France, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The system combines a submarine rescue vehicle with launch and recovery equipment, transfer under pressure systems, and decompression means. In 2026, the Royal Navy has conducted certification exercises for the system, which maintains a multinational force of over 150 people including personnel from the participating navies, medical specialists, and contractors.
The certification of the Poseidon will thus allow a Spanish platform to integrate into this international scheme in the event of an allied submarine accident.
A capability maintained by other navies
Spain is not the only country that maintains a specialized platform for this type of operation. The difference lies in how each navy organizes its means.
Italy, for example, has used the Anteo ship for decades, dependent on the Command of Submariners and Incursors, as a platform for deep diving operations, submarine rescue, and underwater work. The ship can employ the SRV-300 minisubmarine, ROV vehicles, and other intervention systems and has decompression capabilities. The Italian Navy is replacing it with the new Olterra, part of the SDO-SuRS program, designed to combine submarine rescue with support for a broader spectrum of underwater operations.
Sweden has a different solution but with a similar philosophy. The HMS Belos is a support platform for submarine rescue equipped with a hyperbaric chamber, helicopter deck, diving systems, underwater vehicles, and dynamic positioning. Together with the URF rescue vehicle, it constitutes the Swedish submarine rescue system and is compatible with NATO’s NSRS.
Singapore also has a platform specifically dedicated to these missions. The MV Swift Rescue, of the Republic of Singapore Navy, operates with the DSAR 6 rescue vehicle and has launch and recovery systems, medical facilities, and a recompression chamber with capacity for 40 people. The system was conceived to allow a rapid evacuation of crews from distressed submarines.
The United States, on the other hand, has opted for a more modular system. The SRDRS can be transported by land, air, or sea and operate from a ship of opportunity. In March 2026, the U.S. Navy completed its certification for global operations; the system can be deployed to rescue crews from distressed submarines and has under-pressure transfer capability for subsequent treatment.
These models show that submarine rescue does not necessarily depend on a single class of ship. Some navies maintain specialized platforms, while others rely on modular systems that can be installed on different ships. The Poseidon combines both approaches: a permanent Navy platform prepared to integrate the national system and also to act as MOSHIP for allied systems.
It is not exactly a patrol vessel nor a corvette, nor is it an oceanographic ship… but it is all three at once, depending on the day and the mission. The Maritime Action Ship (BAM) is the Spanish response to a problem that almost no other navy has solved in the same way: instead of building a different ship for each task, Navantia designed a single hull (the Avante 3000 platform) and modulated it according to what the Navy needed at any given time.
The result is the six BAMs of the Meteoro class that Spain has had operational since 2011: Meteoro, Rayo, Relámpago, Tornado, Audaz, and Furor. On paper, they are high-seas patrol vessels of about 2,500 tons and 94 meters in length. In practice, they are ships that have done it all: fishery surveillance, anti-drug trafficking operations, border control, support for operations like Atalanta off Somalia, and even hydrographic versions with scientific laboratories on board to map the seabed.
The Poseidon, the missing piece alongside the S-80
Now the family is growing with the Poseidon, which was floated for the first time last Friday in Puerto Real (Cádiz). It is the first of four new BAMs that the Navy has underway. It is the Submarine Intervention version (BAM-IS) replacing the veteran Neptuno as a submarine rescue ship, equipped with a hyperbaric chamber and drones capable of operating at 3,000 meters depth, and it is directly linked to the entry into service of the S-80. Without a ship like this, each new submarine that Spain puts into the water has less margin if something goes wrong under the surface. Following the Poseidon will be two more BAMs with profiles yet to be confirmed and a naval intelligence project (AGI) that will replace the Alerta ship.
BAMs 7 and 8 leave behind the analog generation
The six Meteoro ships are good patrol vessels, but analog compared to what is coming: the Poseidon and its twin will incorporate the new SCOMBA combat system, tactical integration of unmanned vehicles, advanced communications and navigation, and a leap in cybersecurity that the first six do not have.
Added to this is diesel-electric hybrid propulsion, a maximum speed of 21 knots, and more than 7,700 miles of autonomy, along with improvements in medical facilities and more capacity to transport embarked forces: a crew of 50 people with space for another 36.
The Spanish Ministry of Defense has not announced that these two ships will have a specialized mission, but the integration of unmanned systems opens a door that was not in the original design: for the BAM to cease being just a patrol platform and start operating as a node of a distributed naval force, coordinating surface and submarine drones instead of just monitoring them from the deck.
- A-21 Poseidón, the Spanish Navy’s new BAM-IS. Navantia
MOSHIP certification and connection with NATO
One of the most relevant elements of the Poseidon is its future certification as MOSHIP, which will allow it to be used as a support platform for international submarine rescue systems.
The Navy points out that it will be the first Spanish ship with this certification to act as the mother ship of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) and the U.S. Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS).
The NSRS is a multinational capability developed jointly by France, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The system combines a submarine rescue vehicle with launch and recovery equipment, transfer under pressure systems, and decompression means. In 2026, the Royal Navy has conducted certification exercises for the system, which maintains a multinational force of over 150 people including personnel from the participating navies, medical specialists, and contractors.
The certification of the Poseidon will thus allow a Spanish platform to integrate into this international scheme in the event of an allied submarine accident.
A capability maintained by other navies
Spain is not the only country that maintains a specialized platform for this type of operation. The difference lies in how each navy organizes its means.
Italy, for example, has used the Anteo ship for decades, dependent on the Command of Submariners and Incursors, as a platform for deep diving operations, submarine rescue, and underwater work. The ship can employ the SRV-300 minisubmarine, ROV vehicles, and other intervention systems and has decompression capabilities. The Italian Navy is replacing it with the new Olterra, part of the SDO-SuRS program, designed to combine submarine rescue with support for a broader spectrum of underwater operations.
Sweden has a different solution but with a similar philosophy. The HMS Belos is a support platform for submarine rescue equipped with a hyperbaric chamber, helicopter deck, diving systems, underwater vehicles, and dynamic positioning. Together with the URF rescue vehicle, it constitutes the Swedish submarine rescue system and is compatible with NATO’s NSRS.
Singapore also has a platform specifically dedicated to these missions. The MV Swift Rescue, of the Republic of Singapore Navy, operates with the DSAR 6 rescue vehicle and has launch and recovery systems, medical facilities, and a recompression chamber with capacity for 40 people. The system was conceived to allow a rapid evacuation of crews from distressed submarines.
The United States, on the other hand, has opted for a more modular system. The SRDRS can be transported by land, air, or sea and operate from a ship of opportunity. In March 2026, the U.S. Navy completed its certification for global operations; the system can be deployed to rescue crews from distressed submarines and has under-pressure transfer capability for subsequent treatment.
These models show that submarine rescue does not necessarily depend on a single class of ship. Some navies maintain specialized platforms, while others rely on modular systems that can be installed on different ships. The Poseidon combines both approaches: a permanent Navy platform prepared to integrate the national system and also to act as MOSHIP for allied systems.