Vietnamese shipbuilder Song Thu Corporation has launched a new rescue vessel slated for the Vietnam People's Navy (VPN).
The vessel will be used primarily for the rescue of crews of distressed submarines but may also be employed for rescuing crews of surface vessels and conducting seabed surveys.
The completed vessel will have an LOA of 80.95 metres, a beam of 16.4 metres, a displacement of 3,520 tons at full load, and a range of 4,000 nautical miles. Alternatively, the vessel will be capable of staying out at sea for up to 30 days before requiring refuelling and resupply.
The vessel will be able to withstand Beaufort Force 12 conditions characterised by wind speeds of up to 64 knots. This will permit search and rescue operations to be conducted under a broad range of weather and sea conditions.
The ship will be the second purpose-built submarine rescue vessel to be acquired by the VPN. The first is a 94-metre vessel that was commissioned in 2021 and is capable of deploying a 10-metre rescue submersible.
