Defense News
11/10/2011
Vietnam In
Talks to Buy 4 Sigma-class Corvettes
By WENDELL MINNICK
TAIPEI - Vietnam is
in talks with Dutch-shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) for the
purchase of four Sigma-class corvettes, a spokesperson for the shipbuilder said
on Nov. 11.
Two of the ships will
reportedly be built in Vietnam, where the technology transfer will be an
"important contribution" to the country's ability to develop its navy
and a "national capability for warship repair and maintenance," said
Sam Bateman from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore.
In 2005, Vietnam
canceled plans to build Project 2100-type corvettes because the task was beyond
its technical capacity.
"Vietnam has
been able to assembly BPS 2000 corvettes from knock up kits, but was not able
to step up to taking charge of the construction process," said Carlyle
Thayer of the Australian Defence Force Academy.
But the SIGMA vessels
- the acronym stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach -
"represents a revolutionary new modular technology in which ships from 50
meters to 150 meters can be built," Thayer said.
There has been no
confirmation on what type of Sigma-class vessel is under consideration.
Vietnam will be
joining Indonesia and Morocco in operating Sigma-class vessels. Indonesia began
taking delivery of four Sigma-class vessels in 2007; a year later, Morocco
signed a $2.12 billion contract for three vessels that are now being delivered.
"This represents
a major stride forward in Vietnamese defense industry capabilities,"
Thayer said. "The SIGMA class represents a major step forward in
technology and tonnage."
Vietnam's navy has
been expanding both its surface and submarine fleet with new procurements from
Russia, including Kilo-class submarines. The modernization effort is part of a
response to China's growing military clout in the South China Sea and
territorial disputes over islands claimed by both nations.
"The bottom line
is that Vietnam is stepping up the pace of acquiring modern ships capable of
defending Vietnamese interests in its Exclusive Economic Zone, such as armed
escort for oil exploration vessels," Thayer said.
Beijing has thus far
used mainly civilian enforcement vessels in its dispute with Vietnam, but now
"China will now have to decide whether to accept the new status quo or
commit to deploying PLAN [People's Liberation Army Navy] ships," he said.
In May, three Chinese
vessels operated by the State Oceanic Administration harassed a Vietnamese oil
exploration seismic survey vessel inside Vietnam's Exclusive Economic Zone.
China and Vietnam
have been bumping into one another in the South China Sea since the 1970s. In
1974, China took the Paracel Islands by military force from then-South Vietnam,
but Hanoi continues to claim the islands. Then, in 1988, China and Vietnam
fought over the Johnson South Reef in the South China Sea. China sank two
Vietnamese naval vessels and opened fired on Vietnamese troops occupying the
reef, killing 30.
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