The Vietnam Coast Guard on Friday received four high-speed boats from local James Boat Technology Joint Stock Company in a bid to strengthen its maritime security capabilities.
With the four boats, James Boat has already handed over 10 out of 26 high-speed patrol boats that it was contracted to build, the Vietnam Coast Guard said in a statement.
The Hanoi-based James Boat said its products are the result of cooperation among scientists and technical experts from Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Germany.
The 13.6m long and 3.6m wide boats are capable of carrying 16 people and can operate at a maximum speed of 35 nautical miles per hour.
On September 25, the Vietnam Coast Guard also received the multi-functional vessel CSB 8005 in a move to beef up its capacity to defend the country’s maritime sovereignty.
The 2,400-ton ship, launched last November, was designed by the Netherlands’ Damen Shipyards Group and built by Song Thu Corporation, a unit of the Vietnamese defense ministry.
The ministry’s Hong Ha Shipyard on September 22 handed over another 720-ton multi-purpose vessel, the CBS 6002, to the coast guard. Two other ships, the CBS 2006 and CBS 2007, are on trial runs, according to a government statement.
The Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 and is a branch of the Vietnam People’s Army. It is responsible for maintaining maritime security and protecting the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
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