The Royal Norwegian Navy's (RNoN's) new and much-delayed Logistics and Support Vessel (LSV), KNM Maud , has begun its delivery voyage from South Korea.
Separately, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (Forsvarsdepartementet) has announced that Maud will be dual-crewed to maximise operational availability. This move follows the sinking of the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate KNM Helge Ingstad in Hjeltefjorden last November following a collision.
Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), partnered by BMT Defence Services, was awarded a NOK1.32 billion (USD153.2 million) contract in June 2013 by Norway's Defence Logistics Organisation for the design and build of the LSV under Project 2513. The new ship is intended to meet the RNoN's long-standing requirement for a multirole auxiliary vessel to provide afloat and logistics support for a maritime task group, and to contribute to NATO-led international operations.
Construction work on Maud began at DSME's Okpo shipyard in May 2015 after a programme critical design review the previous month. Keel laying occurred in December 2015, followed by launch in June 2016.
Under the original programme schedule, ship acceptance had been planned for September 2016. However, the construction programme suffered significant delays attributable to DSME's financial situation and the complexity of the build and integration. As a result, the LSV delivery schedule was pushed back to April 2018.
Maud departed DSME's Okpo yard on 3 February to begin the first part of its delivery voyage across the Pacific to San Diego. After transiting through the Panama Canal and crossing the Atlantic the vessel is expected to reach Haakonsvern naval base in Bergen in late March.