German shipyard starts work on state-of-the-art warships for Israel

Construction of Israel’s four newest warships that will be used to defend the country’s natural gas fields and territorial waters has begun in Germany.

“The Sa’ar-6 ships are one of the main pillars in the naval defensive wall that the IDF has,” said V.-Adm. Eli Sharvit, commander of the Israel Navy.

“In recent year the importance of maritime supremacy has been reinforced with the understanding that it constitutes a pillar of the security of the State of Israel,” he said…

More than 90% of Israel’s imports arrive by sea, and while the navy is small compared to other IDF service arms, it has to protect some 44,000 sq.km. of sea, almost double the size of Israel.

The new ships will be used to defend Israel’s natural gas drilling rigs, which supply around 60% (and soon 75%) of the nation’s electricity.