The Portuguese Navy is looking to commission the Multifunctional Naval Platform in 2026. (Victor Barreira)

The Portuguese Navy is poised to issue a tender to acquire a helicopter and unmanned systems mother ship for a maximum of EUR132 million (USD142 million) to meet its Pilar I project.

A tender by prior qualification for the design and construction of the Plataforma Naval Multifuncional (Multifunctional Naval Platform) is scheduled to be published in mid-June in the Portuguese Official Gazette and in the Official Journal of the European Union , Captain Jorge Manuel Mestre Domingos, project manager at the Portuguese Navy Ships Directorate, told Janes .

The acquisition of this non-combatant multi-purpose modular ship will be funded by the European Union's (EU's) Recovery and Resilience Plan (also known as NextGenerationEU), he added.

The commissioning of the ship is scheduled to take place in 2026.

The ship is designed to be configured according to the mission set, and will principally undertake offshore surveillance, research and survey, aviation, disaster relief, and humanitarian aid missions.

Hyundai Heavy Industries displayed this model of the HDC-2000 LMS at the LIMA Exhibition 2023 in Langkawi. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) unveiled models of its new HDC-2000 Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) and HDL-10000 amphibious vessel at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 held in Malaysia from 23 to 27 May.

An HHI spokesperson told Janes that the HDC-2000 design will be proposed for the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN's) programme to procure a second batch of LMS vessels. The design of the HDC-2000 is based on the Philippine Navy's2,600-tonne Jose Rizal-class frigates, which were delivered in 2020 and 2021. The HDC-2000 design was completed in 2022, the spokesperson said.

The HDC-2000 has a displacement of 2,000 tonnes,an overall length of 95 m, and a breadth of 13.3 m. Propulsion is provided by four 3,900 kW diesel engines in a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) configuration that enables a top speed of about 25 kt, a range of 4,000 n mile, and an endurance of around 22 days. The ship can carry about 72 personnel.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has displayed a model of a Multi-Role Support Ship that it is proposing to meet requirements within the Royal Malaysian Navy. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) unveiled a model of its new Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023.

An MHI spokesperson told Janes that work on the design of the new MRSS was initiated two to three years ago. However, the spokesperson said the design is not yet finalised and may change based on navies' requirements.

MHI's MRSS is positioned to meet requirements in the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and other regional navies. MHI said it is interested in participating in the RMN's MRSS programme but is waiting for the release of a request for information (RFI) or tender.

MHI's MRSS is a transport ship that can be used for various purposes including logistical deployment forhumanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

The MRSS has an overall length of 160 m, a maximum breadth of 24 m, and a draft of 6 m. Propulsion is provided by two sets of diesel engines that enable a top speed of 20 kt.