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.
Captain Suleman Dahun, the spokesman for the Nigerian Navy, told Jane’s the ship will actually be delivered in March 2022. He said it 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, adding that it will be used to project Nigeria’s naval power and deliver humanitarian assistance in support of the country’s foreign policy.
“The bid for this project was highly competitive as several other shipbuilding companies tendered for her construction,” Vice Adm Ibas was quoted as saying during the ceremony. “The selection of Damen Shipyards to execute the project was based on its track record of high-quality shipbuilding capacity [and] engineering, as well as a belief in the company’s ability to adhere to the timeline for delivery of the ship.”
The Indian press reported in July 2018 that Goa Shipyard had emerged as the lowest bidder for a USD102-million contract to manufacture two landing ships for the Nigerian Navy but would not necessarily win the contract.
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