The Royal Thai Navy took delivery of two new Tor 997-class patrol boats, T997 and T998 from local shipyard Marsun. They are intended to patrol the country’s coastlines in the Gulf of Thailand and in the Andaman Sea and to conduct maritime security missions. Two coastal patrol boats series had a boat keel laying ceremony on November 14, 2019. The Royal Thai Navy hold a launch ceremony for the two new Tor 997-class patrol boats, T997 and T998 at Marsun Shipyard in attendance of Admiral Chatchai Sriworakan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy.
The Tor 991 is a class of patrol boats design and built in Thailand. The design of the patrol boat was initiated by King Bhumibol in 2003. The first vessel, T.991 was launched on the April 30, 2007.The patrol boats are powered by two MTU 16V4000 R41 R diesel engines and armed with a Russian weapon system, the 30mm AK-306 machine gun. The Tor 997-class has an overall length of 41.44 meters, an overall beam of 7.2 m, and displaces about 223 tons at full load, with a speed of over 27 nautical miles. There will be a total of 16 Tor 997-class patrol boats.
AK-306 is a derivative of AK-630M was developed for light craft and this system was named as AK-306. Externally, the air-cooled AK-306 can be distinguished from the AK-630 by the absence of the water cooling system (a cylindrical jacket that surrounds the barrel cluster of the AK-630).This version also lacked radar control, being only optically guided, hence making it less of an anti-missile weapon and more of a surface-to-surface weapon, and the designation of the overall system is consequently changed from A-213-Vympel-A to A-219.
Established since 1980, Marsun Public Company Limited is strategically located near Bangkok at Samutprakarn, at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. For international customers, Suvarnabhumi International Airport is approximately 30 kilometers away from the yard. Marsun has delivered over 317 various types of vessels. These include Fast Patrol Craft, Fast Attack Missile Craft, Crew and Supply Vessels, Ferries, Motor Yachts, Oil Spill Recovery Vessels, Multi-Purpose Craft etc. In addition to these, Marsun has also provided consultation on design, construction and repair to meet wide-ranging requirements for both domestic and international customers.
