The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh has felicitated with the Nigeria Navy and the Chief Naval Staff Vice Admiral AZ Gambo, on the arrival of NNS Kada at the Nigeria after about 56 days of voyage from the United Arab Emirates.

The special message of congratulation to the Nigerian Navy was contained in his verified twitter handle @jamohbashir.

He described the arrival of the warship as a most impressive feat that will boost maritime security.

“From the bridge of Nigeria’s latest and boldest naval acquisition, NNS Kada with the Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral AZ Gambo on the arrival of the warship; it is a most impressive feat & will boost maritime security. Congratulations to the Nigerian Navy. Onward together indeed,” Dr. Jamoh twittered.

The newly acquired warship NNS Kada, arrived at its new home port in Apapa, Lagos from the UAE Emirate on Saturday, May 27, after a 56 days voyage and Port call to about five countries.

Kada was ordered from Damen Group in 2019 and built at Albwardy Damen shipyard in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was laid down in December 2019, launched in June 2021, and handed over to the NN in Sharjah on March 30. The vessel departed for Nigeria on April 1 and prior to its arrival in Lagos, made stopovers in five countries: Angola (Luanda), Gabon (Port Gentil), Kenya (Mombasa), Oman (Port of Duqm), and South Africa (Cape Town).

Based on Damen’s LST 100 design, the ship will be used for a range of duties including strategic transport of equipment and troops, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, and to project maritime security into the Gulf of Guinea.

With 1,300 dwt, an overall length of 100 m, and a 16 m beam, the LST can carry a crew complement of 32 plus 16 embarked marine forces (EMF) in the deckhouse, with accommodation for an additional 234 EMF at mid-ship below the main deck.

Kada is powered by two Caterpillar 3516 diesel engines and four Caterpillar C18 generators to provide a top speed of 16 kt and a standard range of 4,000 n miles at 15 kt.

It features a bow ramp and davits for two landing craft, a 540 m² roll-on/off (ro-ro) deck, and a 420 m² cargo deck for dry stores and ammunition.

The ship deck can carry one medium-sized helicopter.