A keel laying ceremony was held on May 24 in the northeastern port city of Hai Phong to mark the building of Vietnam’s first submarine search and rescue ship.

A model image of the MSSARS 9316, Vietnam’s first submarine search and rescue ship, which begins construction on Thursday in Hai Phong. (Photo: VTV)

The vessel will not only serve the Vietnamese navy force in its waters, but also engage in international submarine rescue operations when the situation demands.

The vessel, numbered MSSARS 9316, measures 94m long, 16m wide, and 5.85m high, with a displacement measurement reaching 4,000 tonnes.

The vessel will feature an on-deck helipad along with a positioning system and various other features to make sure it can function unhindered in harsh weather conditions.

Aside from its main duty as a submarine rescue vessel, the MSSARS 9316 is also capable of underwater surveying, seafloor mapping, and serving as an ocean research vessel.

The important project will be undertaken by Z189, a shipyard company under the Vietnam Ministry of National Defence, who has gained international reputation after it built ships with similar functions for the Royal Australian Navy in a joint venture with the Dutch defence group Damen.

The entire shipbuilding process is estimated at 27 months.-VNA