DAMMAM — Saudi Arabia's naval forces received a shot in the arm with the arrival of the second and third batch of fast interceptor vessels (HS132) from French firm CMN Group, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The vessels, which were received in a ceremony by Commander of the Saudi Royal Naval Forces Lt. Gen. Fahd Bin Abdullah Al-Ghufaili on Sunday, are part of a joint cooperation framework between Saudi Arabia and France in the field of military manufacturing. According to the agreement between the Saudi navy and the CMN, the company manufactures and provides the Kingdom with highly qualified interceptor boats HS132, partly produced in France as well as in the Kingdom's plants as part of a technology transfer program. In a speech to mark the occasion, Al-Ghufaili lauded the full-fledged support the armed forces, in general, and the navy in particular, are enjoying from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces, and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman bin, the deputy premier and minister of defense, to further enhance the maritime security on one hand and protect the country's vital and strategic interests on the other.
