Heavy lift vessel Rolldock Sea, carrying the third Kilo submarine Russia built for Vietnam, arrived at the Cam Ranh port in central Khanh Hoa province on January 28 after a one-and-a half month voyage from St Petersburg.

The submarine named Hai Phong will be launched within a couple of days.

Having a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tonnes, the 73.8m long submarine can operate at a maximum depth of 300 metres and at a range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles for 45 days and nights with 52 crew members.

The submarine is the third of the six diesel-powered 636 Kilo-class submarines that Vietnam purchased from Russia to modernise its navy, enhancing the capacity to defend the country’s territorial waters.

Earlier in 2014, two submarines of the same class were handed over to the Submarine Brigade 189 under Vietnamese Navy, namely HQ-182 Hanoi and HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City.-VNA