Taegeuk-class patrol vessel with pennant number 525, seen here at its commissioning ceremony.
The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) has commissioned another Taegeuk-class patrol vessel.
A ceremony to induct the vessel, which bears the pennant number 525, was held on 28 April at the Jeju Regional Coast Guard Station. With the induction, the KCG now operates 22 Taegeuk-class boats.
525 is one of five vessels ordered from South Korean shipbuilder, Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHI) in 2016. That year, the South Korean government also placed an order for three more vessels of the type with another shipbuilder, Kangnam Corporation.
The vessel has an overall length of 62.2 m, an overall beam of 9.1 m, and displaces 630 tonnes at full load. Powered by two MTU 16V 4000 M90, and two MTU 12V 1163 TB93 diesel engines, with propulsion provided by four MJP waterjets, it can reach a top speed of 35 kt.
Vessels in the Taegeuk class have been armed with either a twin 40 mm turret, or a six-barrelled Sea Vulcan 20 mm gun system in the primary position. Each ship has also been equipped with positions for 7.62 mm machine guns for point defence. 525 is armed with the Sea Vulcan gun system.
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