In the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Qatar, he Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, and the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, the launch ceremony of "Al Fulk", the unit amphibious (LPD – Landing Platform Dock) commissioned from Fincantieri by the Ministry of Defense of Qatar as part of the national naval acquisition programme.
Also present were staff major general (SEA) Abdullah Hassan Al-Sulaiti, commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, team admiral Enrico Credendino, chief of staff of the Navy, gen. Luciano Portolano, secretary general of defense and national armaments directorate, Khalid bin Yousef Al-Sada, ambassador of Qatar in Rome, Paolo Toschi, ambassador of Italy in Doha, Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily Region, Roberto Lagalla, Mayor of Palermo, welcomed by Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri.
The LPD unit, built entirely by the Italian shipyards, is designed in accordance with the RINAMIL regulation (regulation for the classification of military vessels) to guarantee extremely efficient land-air-sea links. It will be highly flexible and capable of carrying out different types of tasks, from humanitarian interventions to military support and ground operations.
The ship has a length of about 143 meters, a width of 21,5 and will be able to accommodate about 550 people on board.
It features two drive-over ramps and a floodable internal dock capable of accommodating a ready-to-run LCM (Landing Craft Mechanized) Landing Craft which can also be placed on the garage deck and can be deployed using a crane system.
The flight deck is also sized to accommodate the NH90 helicopter.
