On June 18, 2026, at the shipyard of the Chilean state shipbuilding and ship repair company ASMAR (Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada) in Talcahuano, the launching ceremony of the LPD 93 Magallanes multipurpose amphibious dock ship under construction for the Chilean Navy, in a planned series of four units, took place. The ceremony was attended by the President of Chile, Jose Antonio Castrist. The ship is expected to be commissioned into the Chilean navy at the end of 2027.
Launched at the shipyard of the Chilean State Shipbuilding and ship repair company ASMAR in Talcahuano, the lead multipurpose amphibious dock ship LPD 93 Magallanes, under construction for the Chilean Navy, 06/18/2026 (c) Government of Chile
The construction of a series of four original small multi-purpose amphibious dock ships with a displacement of about 8000 tons for the Chilean Navy under the Escotillón IV program as part of the long-term development program of the national military shipbuilding PNCCN was approved in 2020. As part of the first phase of the Escotillón IV Phase 1 program, ASMAR was awarded a $410 million contract in August 2022 for the construction of the first two units. The ships must be capable of solving a wide range of tasks, including transportation and amphibious landings, transportation, logistical support for remote bases and garrisons, search and rescue operations, as well as humanitarian tasks, including in the event of natural disasters. Ships must be adapted for operations in Antarctic waters.
The lead ship, LPD 93 Magallanes (named after the Strait of Magellan), was laid down at the ASMAR shipyard in Talcahuano on February 27, 2022, and is now launched at a total technical readiness of about 75%. The second ship ordered is Rapa Nui (Rapanui is the aboriginal name of Easter Island) Construction of the ASMAR began in August 2025, and its launch is scheduled for early 2029. The construction of the next two units has not yet been funded.
The ships were designed under a separate contract issued in 2020 by the Canadian company Vard Marine (which is a long-time partner of ASMAR), the project was designated Vard 7 411 Amphibious Support Ship. With very small dimensions for its class, the project is a full-fledged amphibious dock ship, with an aft dock chamber, cargo decks for vehicles with side latches and ramps, and a helicopter hangar with an extensive flight deck. The ship has a standard displacement of 7,945 (according to other sources, 8009) tons, a maximum length of 110 m, a width of 21.8 m, and a draft of 5.8 m. A two-shaft diesel-electric power plant with a capacity of 11,200 kW should provide a full-stroke speed of more than 17 knots. The largest fuel reserve is 315.6 tons. The cruising range is 7,000 miles at an economic speed of 12 knots. Autonomy, according to various sources, is 30 or 40 days.
The full-time crew of the ship is 95 people, and the amphibious capacity is 250 people. The cargo deck can accommodate 12 KIA KM500 heavy trucks, and the ship's container capacity is 22 containers of 20 feet each. The landing chamber houses one 20-meter amphibious assault boat of the LCM type (carrying capacity of 30 tons) built by the Chilean company ASENAV. The ship also has two 12-seater semi-rigid motorboats. Two 20-ton cranes with a boom reach of 20 m are installed for cargo operations. The helicopter hangar can permanently accommodate one Super Puma class transport helicopter and one 4.5-ton class helicopter. Four remotely controlled combat modules (two with 20 mm cannons and two with 12.7mm machine guns) are installed as weapons of the ship.
Launching ceremony at the shipyard of the Chilean State Shipbuilding and Ship repair company ASMAR in Talcahuano, the head of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship LPD 93 Magallanes, under construction for the Chilean Navy, 06/18/2026 (c) ASMAR, ATON and the Ministry of Defense of Chile
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Images of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship LPD 93 Magallanes (c) Vard Marine and the Chilean Navy under construction for the Chilean Navy
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