By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A SOUTH KOREAN SHIPBUILDER has been conspicuously interested in a challenging venture to manufacture a couple of frigates for the Thai navy amidst strong competition with European rivals.
Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, has appeared to be a prospective manufacturer of battleships to meet the Thai navy’s demand to procure a fleet of four frigates, two of which will be purchased from abroad and two others will be built at a dockyard in Thailand, given a combined 80 billion baht budget spanning over the next few years, according to a navy source.
Nevertheless, rival shipbuilders from Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands would readily offer to build those combat vessels for the Thai navy as well, the navy source said.
Hanwha Ocean officials recently received visiting members of Thailand’s House Armed Services Committee headed by People’s MP Viroj Lakkhanaadisorn at their headquarters in Geoje city and persuaded them to help with the South Korean firm’s potential venture to build those frigates for the Thai navy in place of the rival European shipbuilders, namely Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems of Germany, Babcock International of the United Kingdom and Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands, among others.
The South Korean shipbuilder which built HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej (FFG-471) frigate under a former name of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering would undoubtedly agree to transfer shipbuilding technology for the planned construction of a couple of the sought-after frigates with a 3,700-ton displacement to be built in this country.
The Thai navy currently deploys a fleet of seven frigates including two Chinese-built, Naresuan-class frigates and four Chinese-built, Chao Phraya-class frigates in addition to the single South Korean-built, Bhumibol Adulyadej-class frigate.
Meanwhile, many admirals have remained on edge since Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, largely known as a right-hand man for de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, is still dragging his feet over the navy’s long-delayed plan to procure a Yuan-class S26T submarine from China’s Shipbuilding & Offshore International, pending “a viability study” on it, albeit criticised for the belated action.
Due to the Chinese shipbuilder’s request to change the submarine’s engine from an unavailable German-made MTU396 engine to a Chinese-made CHD620 engine, delivery of the 12.4-billion-baht S26T has been delayed until 2027 whilst the Pheu Thai-led government is yet to give a final approval to the navy’s project to procure the Chinese-built submarine, which would be Thailand’s first in six decades.
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Top: Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard in South Korea. Photo: Hanwha Ocean website
Front Page: The Royal Thai Navy frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej sails in formation during a Division Tactics (DIV TACS) exercise with ships from the US and Royal Thai navies as part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2019. Image: US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Toni Burton
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