Thailand and Indonesia commissions new naval tugboats

 

HTMS Tachai of the Royal Thai Navy. Photo c/o AAG-Th Thai Defense Page.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has commissioned its third Panyee-class medium-sized tugboat, which it named the HTMS Tachai during ceremonies held on 21 August 2023 at Laem Thian Port in Sattahip, Thailand.

The tugboat was based on the Ramparts 3200SD tugboat design from Robert Allan Limited of Canada, and was built in Thailand by Asian Marine Services in Samut Prakan province, where it was launched last 25 January 2023.

The new tugboat will serve with the RTN’s Amphibious and Combat Support Service Squadron, and will join two other sisterships – the HTMS Panyee (857) commissioned on 27 March 2017, and HTMS Lipe (858) commissioned on 23 January 2020.

The RTN has several tugboats that are scheduled for decommissioning soon, with the Panyee-class expected to replace them gradually.

Meanwhile the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) also received and commissioned two new harbour tugboats during ceremonies held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 21 August 2023 and led by the TNI-AL’s Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Adm. Ahmadi Heri Purwono.

The boats were named TD Umsini and TD Irau, and were built by PT Noahtu Shipyard in Jakarta, and will be assigned with Fleet Armada (KOARMADA) III based at the XIV Sorong Naval Base in West Papua.

The new boats will be assisting Indonesian Navy ships in  port manoeuvring, increasing efficiency and effectiveness, as well as safety of navigation within TNI-AL naval bases including firefighting. They will also be used for oil clearing and clearing pollution at sea, being equipped with oil dispersant system with a capacity of 3 cubic meters an hour to separate oil from water.

Both tugboats are 30 meters long, has a width of 12 meters and a maximum speed of 12 knots, an endurance of 5 days, and a crew of 10 personnel. They are designed to push ships displacing 5,000 tons

[1] AAG_Th Thai Defense Page

[2] Indonesian Navy

[3] VOI News