On Saturday, December 7, part of the crew of the Algerian navy’s future ship, 'Kalaat Algeria Beni Abbes, also called Bâtiment de Débarquement et de Soutien Logistique (BDSL) arrived at La Spezia where they will follow the training courses organized by Fincantieri.
The 45 Algerian sailors are members of the Service Platform Unit, and rejoined in Italy 84 other crew members belonging to the Operational Services who had arrived last September.
The ship, an advanced amphibious vessel displacing 8,800 tonnes, was commissioned by Algeria and is derived from the Italian navy’s "San Giusto" class. She is currently at an advanced stage of construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Riva Trigoso, where its launch is scheduled for next Saturday, December 14th.
The Algerian navy’s new flagship will have logistics facilities capable of accommodating up to 590 people or so, of which 153 permanent members of the crew.
In order to achieve a successful model of national cooperation, the Italian Navy and the Orizzonte Sistemi Navali company, the prime contractor for the Forces Navales Algériennes, in 2011 signed a contract for the provision of services by the Armed Forces in support of the program. These services range from specialized assistance in the early stages of construction and outfitting of the ship to those, particularly sought after by the customer, relating to the training of the crew.
This phase can take advantage of the facilities available at the newly completed Fincantieri Training Academy, another winning result of the synergy MMI-Industry.