Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) here yesterday delivered the first of two 42-metre landing craft being built for the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
"The delivery of the 42 metre vessel to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force is a testament to the world-class expertise and capabilities of Abu Dhabi Ship Building and reinforces our position as the preferred supplier and specialised service provider among military institutions in the GCC," Homaid Al Shemmari, ADSB's chairman, said at a news conference.
Contract
ADSB won the contract for both 42-metre Naval Landing Craft and two 16-metre Fast Landing Craft in late 2008 against strong competition from international shipyards.
The vessels are designed to carry troops and vehicles, and can be used for cargo transportation and for beach landings in coastal waters.
ADSB previously built and delivered two similar vessels that are now in service with the UAE Navy.
The second 42-metre landing craft is already in advanced production stage and will be launched and delivered in late 2010," said Al Shemmari.
Separately, W.S. Saltzer, ADSB's chief executive officer, told reporters that ADSB currently has 54 vessels on order.
"This includes 6x72 metre Baynunah Class Corvettes [steel], 2x42 metre naval landing craft [also steel — like the one we launched today], 32x16 metre Fast Interceptors [composite], 12x26 metre Ghannatha Class Fast Fighting Boats [Aluminum], 1x26 metre tug [steel] and 1x19 metre workboat [steel]," he added.
Deliveries
"We will deliver 10 vessels in 2010. This includes the 2x42 metre landing craft, the tug, the workboat and six of the Fast Interceptors," said Saltzer.
He said to date, since it was founded in 1996, ADSB has delivered more than 150 new vessels to various customers.
ADSB operates the most modern naval shipyard in the Arabian Gulf. Its client base includes navies, coast guards and other military, paramilitary and commercial vessel operators across the GCC region.
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed ADSB posted a net profit of Dh114.39 million on revenue of more than Dh1.16 billion in 2009, representing its best annual performance. Its shares closed yesterday unchanged at Dh3.45.
