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| Image: Flickr User - Royal Australian Navy |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
Thai shipbuilder inks fresh contract with UK firm to build a second offshore patrol vessel.
A Thai shipbuilder has inked a new contract with a British defense firm to build a second offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Royal Thai navy (RTN).
Under the agreement announced on January 29, BAE Systems will provide engineering support and advice during the construction of a second modified River-class OPV at Thai shipbuilder Bangkok Dock’s facilities at the Mahidol Adulyadej Naval Dockyard.
The 90-meter OPVs are highly versatile ships which can be employed for various functions including the management of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and the provision of disaster relief. The RTN had accepted its first OPV, HTMS Krabi, back in 2013 which was also built in partnership with BAE Systems at Mahidol Adulyadej.
The announcement of a second OPV follows Bangkok Dock’s signing of a 2.85 billion baht ($80 million) contract last September to lead the project together with other domestic shipyards and a partnership between BAE Systems and Bangkok Dock first revealed by a company official at the Defense & Security show in Bangkok in November.
Read the full story at The Diplomat