HMNZS Canterbury Trains with Its Landing Craft

 HMNZS Canterbury with its two landing craft "Tahi" and "Rua" (photo : RNZN)

A key capability of multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury is its two landing craft, "Tahi" and "Rua". They weigh around 60 tonnes each, and are launched from the ship using two cranes.

The landing craft can take troops and cargo ashore, particularly on aid missions to Pacific islands, where there are no suitable port facilities. Cargo would be unloaded on to a beach through their bow door ramps. HMNZS Canterbury is a multi-role vessel (MRV) of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was commissioned in June 2007, has 131 m in length and displacement of 9,000 tonnes (full load). She is also New Zealand's first purpose-built strategic sealift ship.