US delivers 6 high-speed patrol boats to Vietnam Coast Guard

On March 29, the US Embassy in Hanoi officially handed over six 14-meter Metal Shark patrol boats to the Vietnam Coast Guard stationed in Khanh Hoa, marking another important step in the ongoing security cooperation between the two countries.

This delivery includes 6 units.high speed patrol boatThe newly built Metal Shark, capable of reaching speeds of 35 knots, along with trailers and spare parts estimated to be worth approximately $12 million, according to a statement from the US Embassy in Vietnam.

"The official handover at the Region 3 unit in Van Phong Bay, the central region of central Vietnam, is another milestone and testament to the friendship that has always been maintained between the United States and Vietnam," said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Khanh, deputy commander of Coast Guard Region III.

“Coast Guard Region 3 is Vietnam’s most strategic and certainly most important area, as demonstrated by the high level of skill of its crew of drivers, mechanics and sailors. Metal Shark instructors have dubbed this group of graduates ‘honor graduates’ for their outstanding skills and problem-solving readiness,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kristen Byers at the handover ceremony.

The delivery of these patrol boats demonstrates the deepening of Vietnam-US cooperation in the fields of law enforcement, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance operations at sea within Vietnam’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. These patrol boats will supportCoast Guard Region 3in patrolling and law enforcement in coastal areas to combat smuggling, illicit trafficking, piracy and armed robbery against vessels and illegal fishing.

Over the course of two weeks, the Vietnam Coast Guard demonstrated their ability to operate Metal Shark boats effectively and demonstrated their readiness for advanced Metal Shark training.

Captain Lam Van Nguyen, a student in the class, said at the handover ceremony: "These Metal Shark boats have excellent water jet engines, are flexible and very easy to drive in Vietnamese waters - perfect for law enforcement work. The Metal Shark lessons in class as well as practice at sea were very useful."

The U.S. Embassy, ​​through the Office of Defense Cooperation, coordinates U.S.-Vietnam security cooperation activities on behalf of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to advance shared defense goals and interests. This cooperation, as agreed upon in the September 2011 Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, includes security assistance and training exchanges between the two militaries.