Abu Dhabi Ship Building, ADSB, the construction, repair and refit services provider for naval, military and commercial vessels, has announced the launch of a 42m landing craft for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence as part of its order of eight naval vessels.

A handing-over ceremony was held at ADSB’s headquarters in the Mussafah Industrial Area of Abu Dhabi. Salah Al-Baijan, Kuwait's Ambassador to the UAE, Staff Rear Admiral Meshaal Al Otaibi, representative of the Kuwaiti Army’s Armament and Procurement Authority, Staff Colonel Youssef Bu Kamber, Military Attache of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Abu Dhabi, and a number of ADSB board members attended the event.

The launch is part of a mutual agreement signed between ADSB and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence early last year which includes design and construction of eight state-of-the-art vessels of varying sizes and capabilities aimed at handling the task of protecting Kuwait’s territorial waters and maritime facilities. This is the second launch as part of the agreement, as ADSB previously delivered five 16m landing craft to the Kuwaiti Naval Force ahead of schedule. ADSB is currently constructing two 64m military ships that are scheduled for launch for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence in the second and third quarters of this year.

Dr. Khaled Al Mazrouei, CEO of ADSB, said, "We are proud to have been entrusted with the construction of the eight vessels for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence. It is a testament to ADSB’s position as a leader in the building and maintenance of military ships. The new vessels will help the Kuwaiti Naval Forces improve their capabilities so as to carry out their defence tasks."

Dr. Al Mazrouei also said that ADSB is seeking to expand its capabilities in the fields of construction and maintenance of commercial and naval ships, noting that the company has already provided its services to a number of naval forces across the GCC, Africa and Indian Subcontinent.