The Hellenic Navy Receives The Perseus Fleet Support Ship
The former seismic research ship “Perseus” was donated to the Hellenic Navy by Panos Laskaridis, a Greek shipowner and president of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. Perseus, the Hellenic Navy’s future Fleet Support Ship, was handed over at the Salamis naval base with a ceremony attended by Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff General Konstantinos Floros, and Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff (HNGS) Vice Admiral Ioannis Drymousis. SYRIZA-PS State Member, former Minister of National Defense, and Honorary Chief of GEETHA Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, Greek Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Dimitrios Eleftherios Kataras, and Greek Deputy Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Loukas Tsarmaklis were also present at the ceremony.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias spoke at the ceremony, expressing his great pride and happiness to be present at the signing ceremony for the handover of the “Perseus” fleet support ship to the Hellenic Naval Forces. Dendias underlined that the Greek shipowner Panos Laskaridis, who donated the ship, has a close connection with the Hellenic Navy, which demonstrates his love for his nation.
The defense minister also stated that the “Perseus” fleet support ship will play a vital role in the Hellenic Navy, saying, “We all know that Greece has the largest commercial fleet on the planet, and our flag flies on all seas on our ships. However, a strong Merchant Navy is unfathomable without the support of a Navy capable of operating beyond the horizon. And the Navy cannot operate over the horizon without support ships capable of carrying out that effort.”
Perseus, formerly known as VIKING VISION, is a former commercial ship built in 1993 in Spain by NAVAL GIJON. The ship, which was converted to conduct seismic surveys in 2007, sailed under the Norwegian flag until 2017. It is currently being converted to perform logistics support ship duties in the Hellenic Navy and is set to enter service soon. Perseus, which will increase the Hellenic Naval Forces’ supply and logistics capabilities upon its entry into service, will be able to meet the liquid and solid fuel needs of combat elements, as well as carry out personnel, ammunition, supply materials and attack boat transportation missions, critical spare parts storage, and other tasks.
The ship, which is 105 meters long and 20 meters wide, has a crew capacity of 70 personnel. The ship’s other known key specifications include a gross tonnage of 9,811 tons and a deadweight tonnage of approximately 5,052 tons. The ship can reach a top speed of 72+ knots thanks to a hybrid propulsion setup with a minimal acoustic signature. In addition, the ship has a helicopter platform that allows a 15-ton general purpose helicopter to land and resupply. At the ship’s stern, there are three cranes with a lifting capacity of 10 tons.