Navy Duped Into Buying Subs With No Engines
China has offered two used Song-class submarines to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), but they need to be reconditioned before they can become operable, according to the RTN.
A Chinese state enterprise in charge of managing decommissioned Chinese submarines reportedly approached the Thai military attaché in Beijing, offering to deliver the submarines to Thailand, but they did not specify whether the submarines were to be provided free of charge or whether there will a token charge as a gesture of friendship.
The matter had been raised by China with a working committee of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, but there has been no confirmation.
RTN Commander-in-Chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai was to propose China’s offer to RTN Chief-of-Staff Admiral Talerngsak Sirisawat, who is in charge of the RTN’s submarine procurement project.
In order to proceed with further talks with the Chinese state company, more details about the reported offer are necessary. The RTN expects the two decommissioned submarines to be donated to Thailand.
Previously, China donated two decommissioned Ming-class submarines to Myanmar.
China offers two decommissioned Song-class submarines to Royal Thai Navy | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world
Navy Duped Into Buying Subs With No Engines
A Pheu Thai Party MP claims there are irregularities in the navy’s controversial submarine procurement programme, adding the military branch is being duped into buying vessels with no engines.
Yutthapong Charasathian, deputy Pheu Thai Party leader and MP for Maha Sarakham, yesterday during a weekly press briefing at party headquarters took aim at the navy’s plan to buy three submarines from China.
The first submarine was already bought for 13.5 billion baht and is due for delivery next year.
However, the procurement of two other submarines, valued at 22.5 billion baht, is still in limbo and could be put on hold due to financial constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a source in the navy.
Mr Charasathian claimed China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co (CSOC), which signed the submarine contract with the navy, does not represent the Chinese government.
The CSOC is a private company, which means the submarine contract that the navy signed with the CSOC was not a government-to-government deal, he said.
Mr Charasathian said there is also a project to construct a submarine base in two phases worth about 1.85 billion baht.
Mr Charasathian also said the company sent four personnel to Thailand to work on the submarine base construction project, but it turned out they applied for work permits to teach the Chinese language.
“Did they dupe the government and the navy?” he said.
He also claimed that the first submarine, due for delivery, has no engines because China cannot manufacture diesel engines for submarines and will have to buy them from Germany.
Under the CSOC contract, the submarine must be powered by engines supplied by Germany’s MTU, but the company refused to sell the engine to China, Mr Charasathian alleged.
He said he had received information that the CSOC will replace Germany’s engine with a Chinese-made engine for the submarine instead.
Mr Charasathian said he will bring the matter to the attention of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and ask him to stop any move to replace the engine type stipulated in the contract.
The change could lead to a glitch in the submarine, putting naval officers at risk, Mr Charasathian said.
Navy 'Duped Into Buying Subs With No Engines' | Chiang Mai News - Daily News Stories From Chiang Mai & Thailand
