Vietnam Coast Guard muscles up with Netherlands-designed vessel

• Vietnam Coast Guard builds muscle with new vessels
• Vietnam Coast Guard muscles up with high-speed patrol boats

The Vietnam Coast Guard has formally received the multi-functional vessel CSB 8005 in a move to beef up its capacity to defend the country’s maritime sovereignty, the Quan doi nhan dan (People’s Army) news site reported Sunday.

The handover ceremony was held in the central city of Da Nang on Sunday.

The ship, launched last November, was designed by the Netherlands’ Damen Shipyards Group and built by Vietnamese Defense Ministry’s Song Thu Corporation.

The 2,400-ton vessel is 90 m long and 14 m wide. It is designed to sail at a maximum speed of 21 nautical miles per hour in a range of 5,000 nautical miles in 40 days at sea and equipped with modern guns, other advanced weapons and a helicopter-landing pad aboard.

The vessel will be deployed to boost the patrol and safeguard of the country’s maritime sovereignty.

It will also be able to transport troops and carry supplies for the forces tasked with protecting Vietnamese seas and islands.

The handover ceremony in Da Nang City on September 25. Photo courtesy of Quan doi nhan dan news site

Before CSB 8005, Vietnam Coast Guard had received the CSB 9004 vessel, which was also designed by Damen and built by Song Thu, in 2014.

The Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 and is a branch of the Vietnam People’s Army. It is tasked with maintaining maritime security and protecting the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

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