LMV ‘Independence’ joins the RSN family

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) welcomed a new addition to its fleet as littoral mission vessel (LMV) ‘Independence’ finished its sea trials and cruised to its new home at Tuas Naval Base at the end of May.

‘Independence’ is one of the eight LMVs that will replace the current Fearless-class patrol vessels (PVs). The new ships are expected to be more efficient than their predecessors in areas such as speed and versatility.

“The homecoming of LMV ‘Independence’ marks the conclusion of almost two years of the construction phase,” chief of navy rear admiral, Lai Chung Han said. “It also marks the beginning of about 11 to 12 months of installation, checkout, integration and testing.”

Once the vessel is commissioned next year, the RSN will complete its third generation transformation and mark its 50th anniversary.

The eight LMVs will be fully operational by 2020.