Nigerian Navy’s new Landing Ship Tank (LST), NNS Kada, an LST 100 class vessel is on it’s way home after being completed by Damen Shipyards in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Damen Shipyard began building the LST 100 (LST 1314) towards the end of 2019, with Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, attending the keel-laying ceremony at Damen’s shipyard in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
NNS Kada departed Albwardy Denel Shipyard Sharjah in the UAE to Lagos, Nigeria on 1 April, for her maiden voyage, and is expected to arrive on 27 May after covering a distance of 8,400 nautical miles for a period of 56 days.
Before arriving her homework in Lagos, the new LST 100 vessel NNS Kada will make a stopover in five countries including Oman (Port Duqm), Kenya (Mombasa), South Africa (Cape Town), Angola (Luanda), and Gabon (Port Gentil).
NNS Kada was officially handed over to the Nigerian Navy on 30 March this year after being ordered in May 2018 and launched on 7 June 2021. The vessel was launched on 30 September 2021.
The landing ship tank; an LST 100 class vessel (Damen classification LST 1314) will replace the decommissioned landing ships NNS Ambe and NNS Ofiom which were Type 502 amphibious vessels built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Germany in 1978.
The LST 100 class vessel is a 100 m-long landing ship with a displacement of 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. 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.
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. Crew is 18, but 27 additional personnel can be accommodated or 235 troops.
NNS Kada (LST-100) is powered by two Caterpillar/Cat 3516 C-rating engines and 4 Caterpillar C-18 generators, delivering an endurance of 15 days at 15 knots.