Lloyd’s Register (LR) has been selected to provide assurance and certification services to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group (HZ) for significant naval projects with the Royal Thai Navy. Thailand signed a contract with China for the procurement of a Type 071E landing platform dock (LPD) on September 9, 2019. China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) will build the amphibious vessel for the Royal Thai Navy. The deal was reported to cost only Bt6.1 billion (200 million USD). The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) currently has five vessels of the Type 071 class commissioned in its fleet, with three more on the way. Thailand becomes the first export customer of the class.
The 210-metre Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship for the Royal Thai Navy, can carry up to 800 marines and 20 amphibious vehicles, and has a well-deck that can deploy up to four Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicles – or hovercrafts – of approximately 150 tonnes each. The ship is also fitted with two large hangars that can carry up to four helicopters and a flight deck that can operate two helicopters. The expected delivery date of the LPD ship is 2023. The ship is an export variant of LPDs currently in service with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, which are also being built at HZ. LR will provide design and construction certification services to HZ in accordance with LR’s Naval Ship Rules.
Being selected to collaborate on these naval vessels is testament to our longstanding relationship with Hudong-Zhonghua and both navies. We successfully completed work on two 95 m Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) for the Thai Navy between 2003-2006 and supported the construction of three [2,800-tonne] corvettes for the Algerian Navy between 2013 and 2016″ said LR head of greater China Maogen Xue.
David Lloyd, LR’s Global Naval Business Director said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Hudong-Zhonghua to support them in these two very different projects, demonstrating LR’s ability to provide flexible, tailored naval assurance and certification services that support our clients in the best manner possible. This also attests to the strong relationship between the two companies, as well as the mutual desire to expand the considerable experience in naval shipbuilding the partnership will bring to navies around the world.”
