Z189: Base of sovereignty defense vessels

Workers and engineers of Z189 are completing the last steps to launch Super Bien Dong Vessel - Photo: T.B.D.

In the middle of May, at Z189 on a large space, soldiers - engineers are repairing and maintaining SCB 8001.

 “Speedy schedule” for Ly Son
Being a military shipyard,  Z189’s products recently are not only patrol vessels but big passenger/cargo vessels of millions of dollars for civil clients.

After half a year of waiting, many times leaving Ly Son Island district (Quang Ngai) to Haiphong to order a pasenger vessel of more than 1 million, Mr. Tran Dinh Xem - Director of Transport and Construction Trading and Service Co., Ltd (Ly Son District) - took car to Z189.

When checking the vessel with capacity of 139 seats, equipped with safety technologies complied with the most modern standards – built by the soldiers themselves, Mr. Xem said: "We are waiting for launching day. Seeing the newly built vessel lying on the lifting platform, still smelling of paint, we are very happy”.

His vessel is named Super Biển Đông (Super East Sea). Mr. Xem is gentle and and "lumpy" like the fishermen of Ly Son sea, how can he know Z189?

He smiled and said: "I know a friend who is a carrier. They knew that I intended to modernize the transporting vessels to Ly Son, so trying to "catch up". Going to Hai Phong and visiting Z189, I decided right away.

It is them who are not only the businesmen, the partners of soldiers but also milestones of sovereignty over the sea.

Colonel Nguyen Manh Hung

Colonel Nguyen Manh Hung - Deputy Director of Z189 - said that the vessel should have taken a year to launch.

But Mr. Xem is a special fisherman. Investing for the vessel is an action of pioneering in sea-transport modernization, shortening the time from land to island. Moreover, it is also the contribution to sovereignty defense, so the "speedy building schedule" was set. Within less than 6 months, Super Bien Dong was launched.

According to Colonel Nguyen Manh Hung, in addition to the principal mision of providing crafts for military, Z189 is also utilizing dual-purposed lines for production to generate revenue.

 “We take every opportunity to find partners, the market and the values ​​we receive from the army have brought a number of customers across the sea from Hai Phong to Quang Ngai, the Middle provinces, and many well-known corporations in the world "- Mr. Hung said.

According to Mr. Hung, even at the present time when the shipbuilding industry in the world has been "saturated", many factories have to narrow and reduce the labor force, Z189 still receive stable amount of work, the workers have to work over-time.

Among the thousands of vessels that have been built by Z189, there are vessels that have been serving even in the waters of nations which have tradition of shipbuilding.

Lieutenant Le Duc Phuong said many countries such as Australia, South Korea and India have come to order big transport vessels or  large capacity shiplifts.

Submarine rescue vessels buiding

An important milestone of Z189 is that from 2014-2016, engineers and workers successfully built and launched two submarine rescue vessels for the Australian Navy .

These special mission vessels have the complexity in technilogy that not many shipbuilder can.

“When we receiver the partners' drawings, designs and requirements, we are very worried. Until launching the vessels, seeing the the partner happiness and satisfation, we were relieved. ”- Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh said.

The birthplace of sovereignty defense vessels

Maintaining CSB 8001 at Z189 – Photographed by: T.B.D.

In 2014, when China laid down an unauthorized HD 981 rig in the South China Sea, the large veesels of Vietnamese Coast Police appeared, creating a special secure in our sea. Among theses, there is CSB 8001.

Interestingly, we happened to see this vessel, CSB 8001, in the real-life where it was born, Z189/GDDI.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Thanh said that not only CSB8001 but we  also participated in building and launching CSB 8004 for Vietnamese Coast Police, contributing to the mission of modernizing Vietnamese marine police force.

In addition, a series of patrol boats, large military soldier carry vessel such as: HQ-571 Truong Sa, "floating marine hospital" HQ-561 ... were also born from hands, brains of Z189’ soldiers.

(Source: https://tuoitre.vn/z189-can-cu-cua-nhung-con-tau-bao-ve-chu-quyen-20180525105854933.htm)