Algerian Navy Launch Future Flagship

Fincantieri last week launched the future flagship of the Algerian Navy, the Kalaat Beni Abbes, a vessels designated as a landing and logistic support ship.

This is a project that has seen the light as part of a broad and innovative Italian-Algerian cooperation program that gives the Italian Navy full and direct involvement in the training of the ship’s first crew.

This partnership has already had a concrete expression with the order awarded to another Italian shipyard for the first mine countermeasures ship, a project that marks that country’s intention of beginning the renewal of its minehunting fleet.

The launch of the BDSL marks the conclusion of two years of intensive work for the design and construction of the ship at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso yard, from where it was recently transferred to Muggiano.

The BDSL, a multi-mission vessel of the latest generation of amphibious ships, is by its displacement of 8800 tons, and its capacity of accommodating about 600 people, a conceptual and technological evolution of the Italian navy’s San Giusto, a vessel which, thanks to its uniquely wide flexibility of use and low operating costs, is giving a good account of itself in the current geo-strategic, economic and financial environment.

In the coming months, the Beni Abbes will perform a series of cruises to complete its functional verification and to fine-tune the settings of the various on-board systems, so as to ensure delivery in November of this year to the Algerian navy of a fully operational vessel.