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Published on February 14, 2008

The Bt900-million Pharuehatsabodi was built by the country's largest shipyard, owned by Unithai Shipyard and Engineering, in a joint venture between Unithai and Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the Netherlands. It will be used for hydrographic surveying, mine countermeasures and training activities.

The vessel was designed by Schelde, and its construction took about two years.

Today's launching ceremony will be presided over by Admiral Satirapan Keyanon, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy.

The Pharuehatsabodi, which was given its name by His Majesty the King, is the first vessel of its kind to be built in Thailand. It is 66 metres in length and equipped with modern technologies for hydrographic and oceanographic survey, draft indication, tidal measurement and sea-water collection and measurement. It also boasts a multi-beam echo sounder.

It is capable of navigating both shallow and deep water and will be able to survey the Andaman Sea to a depth of 6,000 metres.

The vessel is driven mostly by electricity and has three power-generating units.

"The ship is worth the investment," Rear Admiral Nakhon Thanuwong, deputy director-general of the Royal Thai Navy's Hydrographic Department, said yesterday. "Apart from surveying, it can repair light buoys and lighthouses, as well as raising sunken ships."

He said that after sea trials, the Pharuehatsabodi's handling ceremony was expected to be held on July 19, after which it would begin its first mission: surveying around Chumphon's Koh Tao in August.

"With the new vessel, the department is confident of completing its electronic sea map by the end of the year," Nakhon said, adding that about 26 out of a total of 46 cells of the e-map were finished.

Unithai Shipyard and Engineering operations director Teerapon Udomkanjanannan said the shipyard provided a full range of ship-repair, -modification and -conversion services, as well as shipbuilding, engineering design and heavy fabrication for oil and gas facilities.

The company repairs an average of 120 vessels a year and is capable of building seven ships at a time. It is currently manufacturing five offshore support vessels, one vessel capable of carrying 150 20-tonne-equivalent containers and nine jack-up drilling-rig structures.

The shipyard has a 390-metre quay capable of accommodating vessels of up to 200,000 dead-weight tonnes. It is also expanding its jetty to carry one more vessel, giving it the ability to carry eight vessels at the same time, Teerapon said.

Schelde president and CEO Hein van Ameijden said his company was expecting to join the Royal Thai Navy on more new-vessel projects. As well, it hoped to export more hydrographic vessels to other countries in the region.

A member of the Damen Shipyards Group, Schelde's main activity is naval shipbuilding. The group owns and operates more than 30 shipyards and related companies around the world.

Sasithorn Ongdee

The Nation