Consulting naval architecture and marine engineering company Vard Marine Inc. has been awarded a contract to design a landing craft tank for the Bangladesh Navy.
As informed, the contract was signed with Khulna Shipyard Ltd, the company that is constricting the unit for the navy.
The design contract was signed in October 2022 and work is now underway on the program.
Based on the Vard 7 507 landing craft series, these vessels are intended to operate in the Bay of Bengal to meet both wartime and peacetime requirements along the coast from Chattogram to St Martins and Mongla.
The vessels are designed primarily for carrying out amphibious operations in the coastal areas of Bangladesh and for transporting landing forces, tanks, equipment and supplies.
Moreover, the ships’ secondary missions during peacetime will be to transport relief goods and personnel for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) within Bangladesh and adjacent areas along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
“It is really a milestone event in the shipbuilding history of the country. These landing craft tanks (LCT) will be constructed with the design and technical assistance from VARD Marine Inc, Canada… LCT will be deployed for carrying out amphibious operations in the coastal areas of Bangladesh and for transporting Landing Force/ Contingent… Inception of these vessels is surely going to augment the overall operational capability of Bangladesh Navy,” Managing Director, Khulna Shipyard Ltd said.