HTMS Chang enters the naval base (Photo: Royal Thai Navy)
Bangkok (VNA)♉ – The Royal Thai Navy (RTN)’snew frigate, HTMS Chang, docked at Sattahip Naval Base in Chonburi province on April25.
It was escorted by the RTN ship, HTMS Narathiwat, onthe journey from China and its arrival was marked by a special ceremony on thesame day. HTMS Chang is the latest model of a type-071 landingplatform dock and was built by China Shipbuilding Trading for 6.1 billion THB(nearly 180 million USD). The frigate is 213 metres long and 28 metres wide,with a maximum displacement of 20,003 tonnes, a top speed of 25 knots and arange of 10,000 nautical miles. The ship can tolerate choppy seas andaccommodate a crew of 600. The frigate was bought as part of the Navy’s 20-yearstrategy (2017-2036) to procure four landing platform docks to be used inamphibious warfare, marine rescue and disaster relief. According to the RTN, the navy has to procure morelanding platform docks to maximise operational efficiency. Thailand's HTMS Chang replaces a vessel of thesame name that was sunk to become the country’s largest diving wreck off KohChang in the Gulf of Thailand. The RTN scuttled the ship to create the Hin Luk Batdiving site in Trat province on November 28, 2012, under a project to create areef and rehabilitate marine life./.
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HTMS Chang enters the naval base (Photo: Royal Thai Navy) 
