Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), the UAE's naval and commercial vessels supplier, launched its second naval ship Baynunah at Idex yesterday, the second of a series of six naval ships, in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"It's the first ship ever to be built in this region," Mohammad Salem Al Junaibi, CEO of ADSB, told Gulf News yesterday. "This ship is really raising the flag of the UAE and the flag of ‘Made in UAE'," he added.
Built in the UAE by ADBS, the naval ship is 71 metres long and 11 metres wide, with built-in sophisticated technology systems. It will currently undergo tests, trials and training by the UAE Navy, but ultimately it will be used to protect UAE waters.
While the first naval ship was made in France based on a French design, the remaining four ships will all be built in the UAE.
"This year we're hoping to launch the other two," Al Junaibi told Gulf News yesterday. The last ship of the series is expected to be ready by mid-2014, he said.
While the cost varies greatly depending on technology that goes into a ship, Al Junaibi said that the total cost of all six ships comes at a price tag of Dh4 billion.
