President attends naming ceremony of new ship inducted into the Greek navy

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou attended last week the naming and induction ceremony at Salamis Naval Base of a new ship for the Greek navy.

The general support ship, named Aias, was donated to Greece by the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, measures 83.2m and displaces 4,426t. Aias has a top speed of 16kt with an open 1000m² deck.

Speaking at the ceremony, Greek Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said the ship, along with other previously donated general support ships Atlas 1 and Heracles, would support the Hellenic Navy’s fleet in the Aegean and ‘wherever requested’.

While of the same class, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation said Aias differs from its sister ships featuring a ‘purely electric’ propulsion system.

Earlier this month, Greece and the Netherlands signed a Letter of Intent opening the door to the possible transfer of two Karel Doorman (M)-class frigates and six mine countermeasure vessels to the Hellenic Navy.