On September 4, 2014 at the Fincantieri Muggiano shipyard (in La Spezia)
the Algerian Navy took delivery of the Kalaat Beni-Abbes BDSL (Batiment
de Débarquement et de Soutien Logistique) amphibious vessel.
The vessel was ordered in 2011 by the Ministry of Defence of the People's
Democratic Republic of Algeria from Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a company
controlled by Fincantieri in which Selex ES also holds an interest,
to serve as the national Navy's new flagship. |
The "Kalaat Beni-Abbes" (which belongs to the BDSL class -
Bâtiment de Débarquement et de Soutien Logistique) is a
landing platform dock (LPD) ship, developed as a technological enhancement
of the Italian "San Giusto" amphibious class vessel and retaining
and perfecting some of the latter’s most significant features.
The most important of these is the presence of an internal floodable
dock, capable of accommodating a ready-to-go chaland (a 20-metre landing
craft); the other two landing craft of the same size can travel attached
to the ship's deck, and can be deployed using a system of davits. If
necessary, the dock can be emptied to accommodate other types of vehicles.
The contract, of particular importance internationally, also includes
the provision of logistical support to the customer during crew training.
In fact, the training of Algerian personnel by the Italian Navy, taking
place since 2013, is using the facilities of the Fincantieri Training
Academy, a project initiated by Fincantieri in conjunction with the
Italian Navy with the aim of training the crew of ships in the process
of delivery.
Fincantieri Training Academy, which is already serving the United Arab
Emirates Navy, is a positive example of cooperation between the armed
forces and industry through which Italy's naval excellence is made available
to Navies around the world.
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Algerian Navy future amphibious vessel Kalaat Beni-Abbes
The delivery ceremony onboard Algerian Navy BDSL (Bâtiment de
Débarquement et de Soutien Logistique) Picture: Fincantieri