VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Quoc Hoa, father of the Truong Sa submarine, says everything is ready for his vessel to be tested at sea.

The submarine has been described as being ready and in the best possible condition for the tests.

Hoa said he learned many useful things during testing in a lake carried out on March 28, things that he could not have discovered during earlier testing in the confines of a tank. He was also able to try out different contingency plans.

Hoa revealed that the open water tests will be conducted at a depth of 20-30 meters in the Tien Hai territorial waters off of Thai Binh Province. Two other ships, both fishing boats, will participate. The fishing boats will be responsible for giving warnings, if necessary. They will be equipped with fish finders, allowing them to monitor the location and movements of the submarine.

“When Truong Sa dives, it will be like a big fish, while it will be still within sight of the fishing boats. There would be no danger to the ships nearby,” Hoa said.

“I chose the territorial waters for testing because they are deserted,” he explained.

Hoa has also prepared for different emergency contingencies.

“I have consulted with specialists on the best possible positions for the liquid oxygen tank and fuel tank to maximize safety,” he said. “In addition, the submarine has been equipped with a gas release system which would allow it to resurface more quickly in the event of an emergency when diving”.

“I have considered all possible scenarios. In the worst case, the submarine would be lost, but there would be no death toll,” he maintained.

“In waters with a depth of 20 meters, divers still can work normally. As for Truong Sa, all the welding seams, shell thickness, latches and screws have been designed to bear the water pressure at a lower depth,” he said, adding that these make him feel secure about the testing.

As part of his intensive preparation, Hoa himself practices swimming one kilometer a day, affirming that his health is good enough to satisfy the requirements of the testing.

Some experts have expressed their concerns about the safety of the vessel’s air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. Hoa said he knows AIP can be very dangerous, but he believes that there always exist reasonable solutions.

AIP is any non-nuclear technology which allows a submarine to propel itself without the need to access atmospheric oxygen.

Do Thai Binh, an engineer, has warned of the danger of explosions from AIP testing. Binh is a member of the HCM City Association of Marine Science and Technology, and of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME),

In reply, Hoa said that if scientists fear AIP testing may cause explosions, he needs to think of the solutions to prevent explosions.

“It is clear that petrol is more explosive than liquid oxygen. However, scientists still can find the solution to prevent the risk to protect cars and car drivers,” he said.

Dat Viet