BANGKOK, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- BAE Systems Surface Ships and its Thai partner Bangkok Dock laid the keel of what will be the country's most advanced offshore patrol ship.
The 295-foot, helicopter-capable corvette is based on the BAE Systems three Port of Spain-class vessels built for the Trinidad and Tobago coast guard. The Thai ships will increase the navy's ability to monitor and protect its increasingly important offshore exclusive economic zone.
Duties for Thailand's OPVs around the country's 1,800 mile coastline include routine patrols and border controls, fishery protection tasks as well as protection of natural resources in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and disaster relief.
The keel-laying ceremony in Bangkok was attended by Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and senior officials from the Thai navy.
While the vessels for Trinidad and Tobago were built at BAE Systems shipyards in Portsmouth, England, and Glasgow, Scotland, in the past 18 months, the Thailand contract is for a major technology transfer.
"Engineers from BAE Systems are working alongside Bangkok Dock, throughout the construction of the vessel to transfer design knowledge, technology and skills that will contribute to the growth of a sustainable shipbuilding capability in Thailand," a BAE statement said.
Bangkok Dock is being groomed by the government as an example of major international cooperation in the design and eventual indigenous production of Thailand's naval fleet.
"This is considered as promoting and improving the technical competency and potential of the Royal Thai Navy personnel in building ships for domestic purposes, based on the king's self-sustainability program," Capt. Chumpol Promprasit, managing director of Bangkok Dock, said at the keel-laying ceremony.
Thailand has been building up its OPV fleet since 2000 when it foresaw a growing need to have a bigger naval presence closer to home. Acquisition priorities moved from deep-sea warships with surface, underwater and air warfare capabilities, to OPVs suitable for cost-effective patrol, enforcement, response and surveillance duties.
The ship will accommodate similar combat systems to that being fitted to other ships in its fleet, a statement from BAE Systems said, although no details of equipment were given.
But the Trinidad vessels are armed with one 30mm cannon, backed up by machine guns and can handle an Agusta Westland AW-139 helicopter from a 65-foot flight deck.
Trinidad's ships will have a Scanter 4100 radar system will provide long-range offshore surveillance and an advanced Ultra Osiris mission-management system. Power is from twin MAN 16v 28133D diesels.
Among Thailand's corvette fleet are several U.S. made vessels.
The two 250-foot Ratanakosin class corvettes were built for the Thai navy by the Tacoma Boat Building Company in Washington in the mid 1980s. Armaments for the 960-ton fully loaded vessels include several Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
American Shipbuilding Company and Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock built the two larger, 275-foot Tapi-class corvettes in the 1970s. Displacement for both ships is 1,170 tons and armaments include OTO Melara, Bofors and Oerlikon deck-mounted guns.
Also, Thailand's Italthai Marine has built three 186-foot Khamronsin-class corvettes in the late 1980s. Italthai Marine was set up in 1978 when the Italian-Thai Development Corp. and Italthai Holding worked with Oriental Marine and Laminates to construct and repair small and medium size steel, fiberglass and aluminum ships.
Three locally built Hua Hin-class OPVs based on the Khamronsin class vessels, entered service with the navy in the early 2000s.
Two 315-foot Pattani-class OPVs with Thales combat suites are under construction by Hudong Shipyard, in Shanghai, China, with a third ship possibly to be built in Thailand.
