The new, Landing Ship Tank 100 (LST 100) for the Nigerian Navy has been launched at Albwardy Damen, Sharjah, UAE a few months ago. On completion the 100-metre, roll-on-roll-off landing ship will have the capacity to accommodate a crew of 32 and 250 Embarked Marine Forces personnel. The bid opening process for the procurement of the LST was held on 19 December 2017 and supervised/conducted by a team from the Bureau of Public Procurement as well as a technical committee of the Nigerian Navy. On 13 June 2019, the Nigerian Navy and Damen Shipyards signed the final general arrangement plan and specifications on the LST 100 and this date of 13 June 2019 became the effective date of contract for the LST 100. The Keel laying ceremony for the LST 100 was held on the 9 December 2019 at The Damen-Albwardy Shipyard in Sharjah the UAE.
The LST 100 has a complement of 32 crew and 250 embarked persons and a length of 100.08m. The 1300 ton LST 100 is 100 metres long, has a maximum speed of 16 knots and range at 15 knots of 4 000 nautical miles, with an endurance 15 days. The vessel can carry two embarked LCVPs (landing craft, vehicle, personnel), a helicopter/UAV on the flight deck, unmanned undersea vehicles and miscellaneous cargo with a 25 ton deck crane. A bow ramp allows for the direct transfer to and from beaches and is rated to 70 tonnes. The internal ramp is rated at 30 tonnes and the stern ramp 70 tonnes. Crew is 18, but 27 additional personnel can be accommodated or 235 troops. If she is to be used for humanitarian missions/evacuation, she can accommodate over 450 persons on its upper and lower decks in short trips.
Over the last 2 years several Factory Acceptance Tests with regards to various components and weapons of the LST 100 have been jointly and successfully completed by the Nigerian Navy and Damen Shipyards. She is powered by 2 Caterpillar/Cat 3516 C-rating engines and 4 Caterpillar C-18 generators. The vessel also has deck space for vehicles, a helicopter / UAV deck and significant space for cargo, which can be loaded via both a stern and a bow ramp or using the 25-tonne main crane. Other capabilities will enhance to deploy troops and military hardware in support of maritime security operations, as well as the supply of relief material in the event of disasters or other crises.
The construction of the LST 100 began about 2 years ago and when commissioned will replace the landing ships NNS Ambe and NNS Ofiom, which were decommissioned ten years ago. They were Type 502 amphibious vessels built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Germany in 1978. The LST 100 will be a critical component of power projection for the enhancement of Nigeria’s maritime security at every level. Damen’s selection for this project was based on its record of high-quality shipbuilding as well as its ability to adhere to the challenging timeframe. The confidence placed in Damen was well justified given the timely launching ceremony despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Damen offers a wide range of standardised LST vessels from 40-metres up to 120-metres, all fully customisable to meet the specific needs of each client. The Nigerian Navy’s LST 100 is scheduled for delivery in 2022.
