IRIS Lavan
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited, Clyde |
| Operators | Islamic Republic of Iran Navy |
| Built | 6 February 1978 – 6 December 1979 |
| In service | 16 January 1985 – present |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Landing Ship Heavy |
| Displacement | 2,581 tons full load |
| Length | 93 m (305 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 15 m (49 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | Diesel |
| Speed | 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) |
| Range | 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement | 80 |
IRIS Lavan is a Hengam-class landing ship. The ship is named after Lavan island in Iran. It has hull number 514 and was laid down on 6 February 1978.[1] The ship was launched on 6 December 1979 and was commissioned on 16 January 1985.[1][2]
In 2026 Iran war
In February 2026, Lavan participated at the International Fleet Review 2026 held at the Indian port of Visakhapatnam.[3] Following the Fleet Review on 18 February, the ship docked at the Indian port on 20 February. On the same day, the Commander of the Iranian Navy, Commodore Shahram Irani, who was on a visit to India for participating in various events including the Fleet Review, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the 2026 Milan exercise, met the Indian Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.[4] India granted refuge to the Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, which docked at Kochi amid heightened regional tensions following the sinking of another Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean. The request was received on 28 February 2026, suggesting that docking at Kochi was urgent due to the ship's technical problems. Approval was granted on 1 March, and IRIS Lavan subsequently docked at Kochi on 4 March. Its crew of 183 personnel are currently being accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi.[5][6][7]
The Indian authorities plans to repatriate the crew of the ship to Iran according to a Wion report on 13 March.[8] Around 100 crews have left the country through the Kochi port as reported on 14 March. The personnel departed on board an aircraft that arrived at Kochi from Colombo. This was not officially confirmed by the Indian Navy's Southern Naval Command.[9]
References
- ^ a b Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995, p. 186
- ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 2015–2016, p. 393
- ^ Rana, Javaria (15 February 2026). "Operation Sindoor carrier INS Vikrant, QUAD navies to feature at IFR-MILAN in Visakhapatnam". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "Iran Navy Chief in India, Destroyer Docks in Vizag". Kashmir Observer. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Days before US torpedo strike on IRIS Dena, Iran requested India to dock damaged warship at Kochi: Reports". Wion. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "India gave safe harbour to another Iranian ship days before IRIS Dena was sunk by US". The Times of India. 6 March 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ Menon, Adithya Krishna (6 March 2026). "India Reveals That It Interned Iranian Naval Vessel IRIS Lavan on March 4". Naval News. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ Sibbal, Siddhant (13 March 2026). "India to repatriate 183 Iranian sailors from warship IRIS Lavan in Kochi". Wion. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Nearly 100 Iranian naval crew leave Kochi as IRIS Lavan remains docked". The Economic Times. 14 March 2026. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 14 March 2026.