India To Build Patrol Ships For Vietnam Forces
The project of building Patrol Ships is one of the first in the defence partnership between Vietnam and India.It will play an important role in fostering bilateral defence ties and should be a great success.
B Kannan, CEO of Larsen & Toubro Shipbuilding, based in the city of Chennai i, said the project is of strategic significance for both Vietnam and India. He pledged the company will complete the project as scheduled with the highest quality. So far, Larsen & Toubro has handed over 46 aluminium alloy ships to the Indian coast guard force.
Now Larsen & Toubro shipyard has launched a project to build 12 high-speed vessels for the Vietnam Border Guard, funded by the Indian government’s credit package.
For the launch ceremony was on 14 August both Rear Admiral KJ Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area and Deputy Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard Force Lieut. Gen. Hoang Dang Nhieu, along with a Vietnamese delegation were present for the event.
Addressing the ceremony, Lieut. Gen. Nhieu said that both Vietnamese and Indian leaders awerw very attentive to pushing co-operation in the technology and engineering sectors, including ship building.
The high-speed patrol ships are designed to help Vietnam Border guard forces to supervise and safeguard the nation’s marine sovereignty, detect illegal activities such as smuggling and perform search and rescue missions.
The aluminium alloy ships will be about 35m in length with top speeds of 35 nautical miles per hour. They will be equipped with modern guiding, monitoring and defence systems.
Five of the 13 ships, all designed by the Larsen & Toubro, will be built at the company’s Kattupalli shipyard, while the rest will be constructed at Vietnam’s Hong Ha shipyard with support from the Indian firm.
