Spain's €1 Billion Sub 'Won't Fit Inside Base'

A Spanish Navy S-71 Submarine. (Image: Spanish Navy).

A new Spanish navy submarine is being plagued by problems after it reports it cannot fit in its dock.

The S-80 Plus submarine initially had to be redesigned at great expense because its excessive weight prevented it from floating.

Now, after increasing the submarine’s length by 10m and adding 800 tons to its weight, it is reported to no longer fit into the docking pits of the naval base at Cartagena.

A Spanish newspaper is alleging that costs of the necessary work at the site will add up to €16 million.

The cost for each S-80 Plus has almost doubled, according to the paper, and is now estimated to be close to €1bn (£900m).

Problems with the S-80 Plus date back five years when it was discovered that it was 125 tons heavier than it needed to be, meaning although it could go underwater, there were no guarantees it would return to the surface.

Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles, speaking on Spanish radio, admitted "there have been deficiencies in the project".

She insisted that "they are already corrected and that the project is absolutely viable".

Reports of the size issue have reached the United Nations - Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy tweeted:

"Interesting chain of miscalculations!

"Never imagined this could be possibke (sic) in modern navy."