Mexico City, Sep 1 (IANS/EFE): A navy logistic support ship that is the largest military vessel ever built in Mexico was launched at the Pacific port of Salina Cruz.

The Montes Azules, which can accommodate 89 sailors, including up to 18 women, is 99.8 meters long and 15.2 meters wide with a displacement of 3,666 metric tonnes and maximum velocity of 12 knots, the navy Secretariat said in a statement.

Adm. Mariano Francisco Saynez, the navy secretary, said at Tuesday's launch ceremony that the ship is part of a plan to modernize Mexico's naval fleet and expressed satisfaction that "the workforce and the ship's design are distinctly national".

The ship features "modern equipment that will allow reliable navigation" and has facilities exclusively for women, the official said.

The navy secretary's wife, Maria del Carmen Ruiz Duran de Saynez, served as the ship's godmother.

During the ceremony, the keel was laid for a similar logistic support vessel that is to be built at the Salina Cruz shipyards.

Logistic support ships assist the civilian population in disaster zones and transport and disembark vehicles, provisions and personnel at beaches or docks, the secretariat said.