Vietnam Navy adds two homebuilt tugboats to fleet

The People’s Navy of Vietnam has received two new vessels that were built at home, using engines imported from Japan.

A ceremony to hand over the boats to the navy was held in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

Attendees of the ceremony included Rear Admiral Pham Xuan Diep, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People’s Navy, Major General Nguyen Duc Hai, deputy general director at the Directorate for National Defense Industries, and other chiefs of relevant military bodies.

The two tugboats, numbered 984 and 985, were built by Hai Minh Naval Engineering One Member JSC under the Directorate for National Defense Industries.

They are of model TK600 designed for towing ships to military seaports, maneuvering vessels and other floating vehicles, and participating in emergency missions offshore.

The boats were designed by the Naval Technical Institute, with their engines imported from Japan.

The handover ceremony of the tugboats in Ho Chi Minh City on March 28, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Each of the boats is 22m long and 6m wide, with a displacement of 160 tons and a maximum speed of 10 knots.

The tugboats are equipped with a central air conditioning system, emergency equipment, satellite positioning, weather data receivers, and a number of other maritime information devices that allow the boats to operate independently at sea for ten consecutive days.

According to Rear Admiral Diep, the two tugboats will be assigned to their respective regional commands, and will be put into immediate operation to provide assistance in emergency missions in case of natural disasters.

These boats are the second and third vessels built by Hai Minh Naval Engineering, with the first having been completed and handed over in December 2013.

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