The Isla Tiburón-class logistics ship is a class of logistics ships that are operated by the Mexican Navy. They are sometimes referred to as transport ships.[1] Until 2023 the ships were designated as the Montes Azules-class.
They are the largest ship built by the Secretary of the Navy to date, in addition to the fact that it has the facility to accommodate female personnel from its own crew, not to mention that it is equipped with modern equipment that will allow it to reliably navigate.[2]
The BAL-02 is based on the concept of the Pánuco-class tank landing ships, they hold a crew of 89 members, including female personnel. Its length (length) is 99.80 meters, the beam (width) is 15.24 meters, it will reach a speed of up to 12 knots with an autonomy (maximum time without refueling) of 60 days and a maximum displacement of 3,666 tons. While the propulsion plant consists of two diesel internal combustion engines of 1,750 BHP at 1,000 RPM each.[2]
The Logistics Support Ships project was born from the need to rethink the definition of the basic characteristics of the surface units required by the Mexican Navy, to fulfill its mission in terms of supporting the civilian population in disaster areas, by transporting and disembarkation of vehicles, supplies and personnel on beaches and/or docks. they have a platform for the helicopter to takeoff and land (MI-17 and UH-60 Black Hawk) and a JP-5 fuel supply system for helicopters, with a storage capacity of 15,000 liters. In addition, it will have two landing craft with the capacity to transport personnel and load vehicles.
On this occasion the investment of the BAL-02 was not specified, but the first largest ship built in Semar shipyards was the ARM Montes Azules (BAL-01), very similar to the later BAL-02 and launched in August 2011, for an investment cost of 24 million dollars.[2] The two ships were renamed, and redesignate Isla Tiburón-class in 2023.[3]
| BAL-01 | Montes Azules | Montes Azules | ASTIMAR, Oaxaca | 30 August 2011 | 2 September 2011 | Isla Tiburón | Isla Tiburón | Active[4] |
| BAL-02 | Libertador | Libertador | 12 November 2012 | 10 September 2012 | Isla Holbox | Isla Holbox | Active[5] |