The HQ-184 Hai Phong submarine, the third of six Kilo-class submarines Vietnam has contracted to buy from Russia, entered Cam Ranh Bay in the central province of Khanh Hoa aboard a Dutch heavy lift vessel on Wednesday evening.

>> Vietnam holds flag-raising ceremony for Kilo-class subs The submarine, of the 636 Varshavyanka (Kilo)-class, was carried on board the Rolldock Star, the heavy lift ship that departed from Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 15, 2014.

The Rolldock Star will be brought into the Cam Ranh Military Port today after completing necessary procedures. The submarine will then be handed over to Submarine Brigade 189 at the port.  Work on the HQ-184 Hai Phong began at Admiralty Verfi Shipyard in Saint Petersburg on March 28, 2012 and the vessel was launched on August 28, 2013.  The submarine experienced its first sea trial on December 18, 2013 and other tests later on. On March 14, 2014, concerned agencies in Vietnam and Russia signed a document confirming that the submarine had passed its technical tests.

HQ-184 Hai Phong is 73.8 meters long and 9.9 meters wide. It has a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tons and an operation range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles.

The vessel can travel at 20 nautical miles per hour and operate for 45 consecutive days with a crew member of 52 at an average depth of 240 meters, which can be extended to 300 meters in maximum.

The submarine is the third of six Kilo-class submarines that Vietnam contracted to buy from Russia when Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited the country in 2009. Under the contract, worth nearly US$2 billion, all six submarines are to be built at the Russian Navy’s Admiralty Verfi Shipyard, according to news website Dat Viet (Vietnam Land). The first submarine of the order, the HQ-182 Hanoi, was delivered to Vietnam at Cam Ranh military port on December 31, 2013, and the second arrived on March 19, 2014. These submarines were also brought to Vietnam by the Rolldock Star. The fourth and fifth submarines – HQ-185 Da Nang and HQ-186 Khanh Hoa – are scheduled to be delivered to Vietnam within this year and the last, HQ-187 Ba Ria-Vung Tau, will be sent to the country in early 2016, newswire Dat Viet said.

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