Vietnam’s 6th Russian-built submarine arrives at central port

• Vietnam's 6th Russian-built submarine to arrive in January
• Vietnam looks to Japan for anti-submarine aircraft

The sixth Kilo-class attack submarine built by Russia for Vietnam arrived at the strategic Cam Ranh Port in the central province of Khanh Hoa on Friday morning.

The submarine, HQ-187 Ba Ria-Vung Tau, was delivered by the Dutch-registered vessel Rolldock Storm.

In the next three days, the vessel will be lowered for the submarine to be released and transferred to the Vietnamese Navy.

The submarine was launched in September 2015 at the St. Petersburg-based Admiralty Shipyard, and began its trial run three months later.

It started the voyage to Vietnam last November.

Vietnam had inked a deal worth $2 billion with Russia in 2009 to buy six Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines to strengthen its maritime forces. The contract also includes training programs for Vietnamese crew in Russia.

The fifth submarine arrived in the country in February 2016, three years after the first was delivered.

The Kilo-class submarines are built with advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and modern navigation systems. They can operate at a maximum depth of 300 meters and a range of 9,600 kilometers for 45 days.

Related news:

>Vietnam's 6th Russian-built submarine to arrive in January

>Vietnam looks to Japan for anti-submarine aircraft