MAKRAN (441) class

 1 MAKRAN-class EXPEDITIONARY SEA BASE (ESB)
 Name     Pendant   Launched    Commissioned    Status 
 MAKRAN   441       2020        Jan. 12, 2021   Active 

The Makran class is an Iranian Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) designed as mobile base for fast boats, helicopters, unmanned vehicles, and special forces. The ship can also be used as a logistics, intelligence and command platform. The vessel can transport troops, supplies and equipment as well as conduct search-and-rescue (SAR) and emergency response missions.

HULL: MAKRAN was originally designed as an Aframax oil tanker. A large deck is installed forward for helicopter landing and vehicle storage.
MAKRAN displaces 133,380 tons at full load. She measures 748 ft (228.0 m) long, 70 ft 7 in (21.5 m) high and has a beam of 137 ft 10 in (42.0 m).
The vessel can carry 80,000 tons of fuel and 20,000 tons of water, according to the Iranian military.

ENGINEERING: The ship can reach a top speed of approximately 15 knots. She can reportedly operate independently for around 1,000 days.

ARMAMENT: The ship can embark six helicopters including RH-53D Sea Stallion, SH-3D Sea King, AS-61A Sea King or Bell AB 212 rotorcraft. The vessel is also reportedly planned to serve as a launch and command platform for unmanned aerial systems (UAV). Video footage from Iran showed the deployment of a Pelican-2 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV from the MAKRAN, though it is unclear if such drones are embarked permanently.
Per Iranian military sources the MAKRAN will be fitted with "a set of missile and weapons capabilities". The ship has been shown equipped with an unknown number of 20-mm, 23-mm and 12.7-mm guns.
The ship is believed to be capable of carrying 10 fast attack craft.

SENSORS/ELECTRONICS: Information on the MAKRAN's sensors and electronics is limited. Unknown surface search and navigation radars are fitted. The ship is reportedly equipped with intelligence gathering and processing equipment.

In service.
Based out of Bandar Abbas. Deployed with the Southern Fleet.

The ship, originally dubbed BETA, was built in 2010 as a civilian Aframax oil tanker by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Yokosuka, Japan. Later, the ship was operated from the U.A.E under the Liberian flag, using the name PERSIAN GULF.

At some point between 2010 and 2020, the civilian ship was acquired by Iran, and through 2020 the vessel was refitted to serve as a mobile expeditionary base. Work was undertaken by the Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Company (ISOICO). Open-source analyst H.I. Sutton speculated the ship was launched in late 2020 evidenced by satellite imagery showing the flooding of the drydock in which the ship was being refitted. He further reported that sea trials were believed to have been conducted in mid-December of 2020, in the Straits of Hormuz.

The MAKRAN was formally commissioned on Jan. 12, 2021.

On Sept. 14, 2021, the state-affiliated Tasnim News reported that Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi told press members that the navy plans to manufacture another forward base ship similar to the MAKRAN.

Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Company (ISOICO), Bandar Abbas, Iran

 DISPLACEMENT
   Full load               133,380 tons

 DIMENSIONS
   Length                  748 ft  0 in (228.0 m)           
   Beam                    137 ft 10 in ( 42.0 m)
   Height                   70 ft  7 in ( 21.5 m)

 PERFORMANCE
   Speed                    15 knots
   Endurance                1,000 days
   Military lift
      fuel                  80,000 tons
      water                 20,000 tons

 COMBAT SYSTEMS
   Helicopters              6 x RH-53D Sea Stallion, SH-3D Sea King, AS-61A Sea King or Bell AB 212 ASW
   Guns                     Unknown no. 20-mm
                            Unknown no. 23-mm
                            Unknown no. 12.7-mm machine guns
   Radars                   Unknown navigation
                            Unknown surface search

MAKRAN's operational characteristics, internal systems and capabilities have not been extensively publicly disclosed. Information provided by the Iranian government and government-affiliated sources is questionable.

A day after commissioning, MAKRAN participated in Iran's two-day missile drill in the Gulf of Oman dubbed Eqtedar 99 in January 2021.

The MAKRAN, supported by the JAMARAN-class corvette SAHAND, embarked on a voyage through the Atlantic on May 2, 2021. The deployment marked the first Iranian naval mission to the Atlantic Ocean. The mission was surrounded with controversy as the flotilla's unknown destination sparked concerns the MAKRAN was bound for Venezuela to deliver fuel under a military flag, allowing the evasion of U.S.-led sanctions on such transfers by commercial vessels. The speculation was reinforced by the emergence of satellite imagery showing the MAKRAN carrying seven fast attack craft on its deck, believed to be part of a possible arms deal with Caracas. Politico reported on June 9, 2021, that the Biden administration was urging Venezuela and Cuba to turn away the MAKRAN convoy and reject any potential arms deals with Iran. Both Tehran and Caracas rejected Washington's assertion that the MAKRAN was bound for Venezuela. U.S. fears were proven largely unfounded as the MAKRAN convoy instead proceeded through the English Channel and on July 22, the two ships became the first Iranian vessels to enter the Baltic Sea. The convoy continued eastward through the sea until reaching St. Petersburg. On July 25, the ships participated in a multinational naval parade in St. Petersburg to celebrate the 325th anniversary of the Russian navy. The Tehran Times reported on Sept. 13, 2021, that the Iranian Armed Forces had approved the deployment of the MAKRAN and SAHAND to St. Petersburg in February 2021. The ships returned home to Bandar Abbas after 133 days of sailing, traversing a distance of 38,000 nm (44,000 km).

MAKRAN began another milestone journey in September 2022, embarking the Iranian navy's first circumnavigation of the globe along with the JAMARAN-class corvette DENA. During the journey, the ships made port calls in South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia and Oman. The ships returned home on May 18, 2023.