PRESS RELEASE Moscow, 18th of June 2009 Amphibious transport ship of Netherlands Navy in St. Petersburg

PRESS RELEASE

Moscow, 18th of June 2009

Amphibious transport ship of Netherlands Navy in St. Petersburg

The Netherlands Navy will participate with an amphibious transport ship in the international naval exhibition IMDS in St-Petersburg. The ship named HNLMS Johan de Witt will arrive in the morning of the 24th of June and will stay at the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment in St Petersburg until the 29th of June. The ship will be open for public on Saturday the 27th of June from 12.00 - 16.00 hr. and on Sunday the 28th of June from 11.30-13.30 hr.

The amphibious transport ship of the Netherlands with a length of more than 170 meters is one of the taller ships, which are visiting St-Petersburg naval show. The ship is a combination of airport, harbour, parking garage, hospital, hotel and communication centre. The Netherlands navy is using the ship for international peace operations and for humanitarian aid tasks. Equipped with fast boats and transport helicopters the amphibious transport ship is able to transport large military units and their equipment or large amounts of humanitarian aid goods to and from the main land or other ships. For this reason the amphibious transport ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy are also known as Landing Platform Docks (LPD). HNLMS Johan de Witt can accommodate a complete battalion marines and their equipment. Besides the ship is equipped with a complete hospital and a command and control centre.

Landing Platform Docks are able to operate without a harbour. The backside of the ship can sink four meters so water can enter the dock inside the ship, which enables fast amphibious Landing Craft Vehicles to leave the ship. Besides the Landing Platform Docks are equipped with a large helicopter deck which can handle two helicopters at the same time. The hospital is equipped with surgery facilities and beds for 100 patients. The ship has parking space for more than thirty armoured tanks (leopard 2) and ninety armoured personnel carriers.
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Note for the media (not for publication):
Representatives of the press can visit the amphibious transport ship HNLMS Johan de Witt. A press visit will be organised on the Thursday the 25th of June 2009 at 15.00 hr. Media representatives have to accredit themselves to the press attaché of the Netherlands embassy in Moscow, Lino Brosius, Kalashny Pereulok 6, 131000 Moskou, Tel. 007-495-7972915. E-mail: lino.brosius@minbuza.nl