Thailand receives Chinese-made amphibious ship

MELBOURNE, Australia — A Chinese-built amphibious assault ship ordered by Thailand arrived at its homeport in the country’s south a week after it was officially handed over to its new owner at the Chinese shipyard.

The HTMS Chang , a Type 071E landing platform dock, arrived at Chuk Samet Pier by Sattahip Naval Base in Chonburi province, southern Thailand, on the afternoon of April 25.

The ship had left Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s facility in Shanghai on April 18, where it underwent construction by the state-owned business China State Shipbuilding Corp . It traveled to Thailand through the Taiwan Strait.

A ceremony to officially hand over the HTMS Chang to the Royal Thai Navy took place the day before it sailed home, with the service’s chief, Adm. Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, in attendance.

The Type 071E is an export variant of the Type 071, which is currently in service with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. The design is 210 meters (230 yards) long, with a beam of 28 meters and a displacement of 25,000 tons when fully loaded.

The landing platform dock has a stern well can carry up to four air-cushioned landing craft for amphibious assaults, while hull-mounted davits can carry, launch and recover conventional landing craft. A vehicle deck has space for 60 armored fighting vehicles, and the ship can accommodate 800 troops.

There are also helicopter landing pads for two Z-18 heavy-lift transport helicopters, with hangar space available for four helicopters.

Years ago, Thai newspaper The Bangkok Post reported that the ship would cost $200.7 million, with construction to last three years. Before that, Thai media reports had said the Chinese design would cost $130 million.

Thailand is a U.S. treaty ally , although its military operates several types of Chinese-made platforms, including tanks, frigates and offshore patrol vessels. It has also signed a contract to buy Chinese-made S26T diesel-electric submarines, although the purchase is mired in controversy, primarily over the engines that will be used to power the three boats.

Thailand had originally sought engines by German firm MTU to power the submarines, but the European country has so far refused to supply them, citing an arms embargo on China. In the meantime, Beijing offered an indigenous engine design for the boats.

China’s naval force operates eight Type 071 ships split among its East and South Sea fleets. The latter is responsible for maritime operations in the disputed South China Sea. In the event China invades Taiwan , which Beijing considers a rogue province, both fleets would likely carry out amphibious operations against the island nation.

Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.

澳大利亚墨尔本——一艘由中国建造的泰国订购的两栖攻击舰在正式从中国造船厂交付给新船东一周后，抵达了位于泰国南部的母港。

4月25日下午，071E型登陆平台船坞舰HTMS Chang抵达泰国南部春武里府梭桃邑海军基地附近的楚克沙美码头。

该船于4月18日离开沪东中华造船厂（位于上海），由国有企业中国船舶集团公司建造。它经台湾海峡前往泰国。

在 HTMS Chang 号驱逐舰启航回国的前一天，举行了正式将其移交给泰国皇家海军的仪式，泰国皇家海军司令 Choengchai Chomchoengpaet 海军上将出席了仪式。

071E型是071型驱逐舰的出口型，目前071型驱逐舰正在中国人民解放军海军服役。该舰设计长210米（230码），宽28米，满载排水量25000吨。

该舰的登陆平台船坞尾部设有一个可搭载多达四艘气垫登陆艇的舱口，用于两栖突击作战；舰体上的吊艇架则可用于吊装、投放和回收常规登陆艇。车辆甲板可容纳60辆装甲战车，舰上可搭载800名士兵。

此外，还有可供两架 Z-18 重型运输直升机起降的直升机停机坪，以及可容纳四架直升机的机库空间。

多年前，泰国《曼谷邮报》报道称，这艘船造价2.007亿美元，建造工期三年。在此之前，泰国媒体曾报道，中国设计的这艘船造价1.3亿美元。

泰国是美国的条约盟友，但其军队却装备着多种中国制造的装备，包括坦克、护卫舰和近海巡逻舰。泰国还签署了一份购买中国制造的S26T柴电潜艇的合同，但这项采购引发了争议，主要争议点在于三艘潜艇将使用的发动机。

泰国最初希望德国MTU公司生产的发动机为潜艇提供动力，但德国以对华武器禁运为由，至今拒绝供货。与此同时，北京方面提出了自主研发的潜艇发动机方案。

中国海军拥有八艘071型护卫舰，分别隶属于东海舰队和南海舰队。南海舰队负责在存在争议的南海海域开展海上行动。一旦中国入侵被北京视为“叛乱省份”的台湾，这两个舰队都可能对台湾发动两栖作战。

Mike Yeo 是《防务新闻》的亚洲通讯员。