Algeria’s Cooperation to Ramp Up its Naval Capabilities in the Mediterranean
Reports have surfaced that Algeria is ramping up its naval capabilities in order to maintain its already strong presence in the Mediterranean. According to various media outlets, the North African nation is in the process of acquiring a second Landing Platform Dock (LPD) from Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilder. This comes after Algeria and Italy engaged in talks about strengthening cooperation during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit to Algiers in January 2023. The Italian Ministry of Defence had already confirmed talks regarding such military cooperation in November 2022 during the 13th Italy-Algeria Bilateral Committee.
The agreement would allow Algeria to access Italian shipbuilding knowledge and expertise as part of a joint ship construction programme. The partnership would involve the Fincantieri shipyard and Algeria's Établissement de Construction et de Reparation Navale (ECRN) shipyard, with Fincantieri potentially partnering with the ECRN shipyard in Mersa el Kebir, Oran.
It is currently unknown whether the new LPD will be the first subject of this cooperation or whether it will be fully built in Italy. Fincantieri previously delivered the amphibious ship Kalaat Beni-Abbes in 2014. The Kalaat Beni-Abbes is an LPD ship that can transport troops, vehicles, helicopters, and landing craft. It has a displacement of 8,800 tons, a length of 143 meters, and a beam of 21.5 meters. The ship is equipped with a 76mm cannon, Aster vertical launch anti-aircraft missiles, and two remotely controlled 25mm autocannons. It has a top speed of 20 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 16 knots. The Kalaat Beni-Abbes can carry 240 troops and 650 tons of cargo, as well as up to five helicopters on its flight deck. It also has an internal floodable dock that can hold a 20-metre landing craft and two more on its deck.
Algeria has traditionally sought defence supplies from China and Russia. However, it also has a number of German and Italian ships that are currently in operation within its navy. Such diversification would allow the Algerian military to reduce the potential risk of falling short of parts or equipment from Russia due to the war in Ukraine. However, the core of the Algerian Navy remains mostly Russian and Chinese. It has a total of six submarines, all of which are Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines. The first two were commissioned in 1987 and 1988 from Russia as Project 877 units. They were upgraded in 2010 and 2011 with new weapons systems, including the Kalibr cruise missile. The other four submarines were commissioned between 2009 and 2019 as Project 636 units, which are improved versions of the Kilo-class with better stealth, sensors, and combat capabilities. The Algerian navy also operates various surface ships. it has among its ranks three Adhafer-class stealth corvettes from China and reportedly ordered six Chinese Type 056 corvettes in 2019 that begin sea trials in summer 2022.
At a global level, the Algerian army was ranked 26th by the specialised site Global Fire Power (GFP) in 2023. This is not a surprising finding, given that the National Defense sector benefits from Algeria's largest state budget. In the 2023 finance bill, the country's military budget increased by 127%, reaching a total of 22.8 billion dollars. However, regarding naval strength in the Mediterranean, Algeria was ranked third (15th in the world), just behind Italy and Egypt, according to the same ranking.