Singapore’s ST to Build LPD Ship, Landing Craft for Regional Navy
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ST Engineering subsidiary Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine), reports that they have “secured a contract in a basket of currencies amounting to about S$200m” (about $135 million) to design and build a 141 meter Landing Platform Dock (LPD) amphibious assault ship, along with ancillary vessels: a pair of 23m Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) that can transport heavy equipment like tanks from the ship’s well deck to the shore, and a pair of smaller 13m Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP) for people and small wheeled vehicle. Their customer is “a navy in the Asia Pacific region,” other than Singapore.
That customer could be the Thai Navy, which floated an RFP for an LPD-type ship in April 2008.
ST Eng lists their ship design as an “LST” (Landing Ship Tank) on their site, but it does not beach itself. The label LPD is more appropriate for these 6,600 ton vessels, which cost less than 1/10th as much as the USA’s 25,000 ton LPD-17 Class. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid 2009, and delivery is planned for in the second half of 2012. ST Engineering release.
