27 December 2019

Update: Myanmar Navy commissions its first LPD amphibious assault ship

by Anthony Davis

The Myanmar Navy (MN) has commissioned its first-ever landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious assault ship.

Named UMS Mottama (with pennant number 1501), the 122 m-long South Korean-built ship entered service in a high-profile ceremony held on 24 December at a Yangon naval wharf to mark the 72nd anniversary of the MN.

The MN commissioned eight vessels on 24 December, including its first-ever LPD amphibious assault ship (foreground). (Cincds)

Presided over by Myanmar Armed Forces’ (Tatmadaw’s) commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and MN commander Admiral Tin Aung San, the ceremony also involved the induction of a new coastal transport ship, UMS Myitkyina , along with two 27 m-long fast patrol boats, two seagoing tugs, and two 20 m-long riverine patrol vessels, according to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services.

Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing later took the salute from a formation of three of the MN’s five frigates, two missile corvettes, and various fast attack craft.

Mottama , which the MN describes as a multipurpose support vessel (MPSV), was launched in Busan in or around July 2019 and is similar to the Makassar-class LPDs also built by South Korea’s Dae Sun Shipbuilding and Engineering company for the navies of Indonesia and Philippines.

Mottama, which displaces 11,300 tonnes, has since been conducting sea trials and making port calls at Vladivostok in the Russian Far East as well as at Da Nang in Vietnam.

With a flight deck that can accommodate two medium Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, the LPD, which is now the largest asset in the MN’s rapidly expanding fleet, can carry 15 armoured vehicles and a contingent of 250 marines while providing a suite of hospital facilities.

The Myanmar Navy (MN) has commissioned its first-ever landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious assault...

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