The Nigerian Navy has ordered a landing ship from Damen, it was confirmed on 9 December, when a ceremony was held at the Albwardy Damen Shipyard in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to mark the start of construction.
A computer-generated image of Damen’s LST 100 landing ship that is being built in Sharjah for the Nigerian Navy. (Damen)
The Nigerian Navy released photographs of its commander, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, attending the keel-laying ceremony for an LST 100 and said the ship is expected to be completed in May 2020.
The LST 100 is the 100 m-long version of a new range of landing ships offered by Damen, which says the model has a deadweight displacement of 1,000–1,300 tonnes, a range of 4,000 n miles, and an endurance of 15 days.
It has both stern and bow ramps, as well as a flight deck for a medium helicopter. There is 540 m² of space on the roll-on/roll-off deck and another 420 m² on the cargo deck. It can carry 235 troops as well as the 18 crew. Two davits for launching and recovering landing craft and a 25 tonne cargo crane are options.
Captain Suleman Dahun, the spokesman for the Nigerian Navy, told Jane’s that the ship will restore the service’s sealift capability by replacing the decommissioned German-built Type 502 landing ships NNS Ambe and NNS Ofiom that were acquired in the late 1970s. Cpt Dahun added that the new ship would be used to project Nigeria’s naval power and deliver humanitarian assistance in support of the country’s foreign policy.
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