Fire breaks out aboard Turkish landing helicopter ship Anadolu in shipyard

A fire broke out aboard the Turkish Navy’s future landing helicopter dock (LHD) Anadolu at a shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on April 30.

Fire aboard the ship, which is being constructed by shipbuilder Sedef for the Turkish Navy, was contained by shipyard workers and firefighters.

No injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident, according to Turkish reports. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

TCG Anadolu is currently in dry dock and was expected to be launched in 2019. Depending on the extent of the damage sustained in the fire, the launch could potentially be delayed.

The contract for the design and transfer of technology agreement for the TCG Anadolu (L-408) was signed between the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries and Navantia in 2015.

While based on the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I and Australian Canberra-class landing helicopter docks, TCG Anadolu will be registered as a light aircraft carrier by the Turkish Lloyd and is expected to be delivered to the navy in 2021.

With a displacement of 28,000 tonnes at full load and a length of 225 meters, the ship will have 6 landing spots on its deck and will carry up to 12 F-35B aircraft and 12 helicopters, depending on configuration.