Based on the Vard 7 507 Landing Craft Series, the vessels are supposed to function within the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh’s Khulna Shipyard Ltd has awarded Fincantieri subsidiary Vard Marine Inc. a contract to design a 70 meter Landing Craft Tank (LCT). The design contract was signed in October 2022 and work is now underway on this system. The shipbuilding contract, awarded to Khulna Shipyard by the Bangladesh Navy, can be a multi-stage program.
Based on the Vard 7 507 Landing Craft Series, the vessels are supposed to function within the Bay of Bengal to fulfill each wartime and peacetime necessities alongside the coast from Chattogram to St Martins and Mongla. The vessels are designed primarily for finishing up amphibious operations within the coastal areas of Bangladesh and for transporting touchdown forces, tanks, gear and provides. The vessels’ secondary missions throughout peacetime can be to move reduction items and personnel for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) inside Bangladesh and adjoining areas alongside the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
“This program is the beginning of what we hope to be fruitful relationship with Khulna Shipyard Ltd and of strategic importance to us in the landing craft sector,” stated Wade Carson, President of Vard Marine Inc. “The unique requirements of this design presented Vard Marine Inc. an opportunity to demonstrate our versatility and exercise the full range of expertise within our design team to create a technically superior and cost-effective solution. We very much look forward to working with our new partners at Khulna Shipyards to bring this vital capability to the Bangladesh Navy.”
Hailing the contract as a “milestone event,” Commodore M Shamsul Aziz, Managing Director, Khulna Shipyard Ltd stated he believed Vard Marine and the shipyard may work collectively and ship three of the state of artwork LCTs to the Bangladesh Navy.
“The inception of these vessels is surely going to augment the overall operational capability of the Bangladesh Navy,” he added.
