Text Fwd: S. Korea bids to sell warships to Brazil 남한, 브라질에 무기팔러 입찰

Korea Times
11-18-2010

S. Korea bids to sell warships to Brazil

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, a leading ship builder in Korea, submitted a proposal for a $4 trillion warship procurement contract in Brazil, a military source said Thursday.

Brazil, which is seeking to beef up its maritime defense of offshore oil deposits, plans to purchase 11 naval ships ― five destroyers, five frigates and a support ship ― the source said.

“The Brazilian navy has been considering purchasing 11 warships in the form of a government-to-government project since June,” the source said. “Specific details for the bid have yet to be publicized.”

The project will take shape after the new Brazilian government is inaugurated in January, he added.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to leave office at the end of this year and President-elect Dilma Rousseff is scheduled to take office on Jan. 1.

Italy, France and some European nations are expected to make rival bids for the Brazilian contract, according to the source.

The 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyer would be a favorite for the Brazilian warship project. Korea’s Navy has six KDX-II destroyers one of which is operating in waters off Somalia on an anti-piracy mission.

The KDX-II is equipped with Harpoon ship-to-surface missiles, RAM Mk 31 ship-to-air guided missiles, a 30mm Goalkeeper system for engaging sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and several torpedoes.

The 150-meter-long, 17-meter-wide ship is able to sail at a top speed of 29 knots and carries two Lynx anti-submarine helicopters.

Text Fw: Destroyer Dispatched to Stop Somali Hijackers

* Image source: MBC
The red square is the spot that the ship, 'Samho Dream' was kidnapped by the 'believed' pirates.The South Korean Navy's Cheonghae Unit, comprised of the Yi Sun-shin, the KDX II destroyer, will be dispatched
from the port of Salalah (yellow circle), Oman.

Korea Times
Destroyer Dispatched to Stop Somali Hijackers
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

South Korea has dispatched a 4,300 ton destroyer engaged in anti-piracy patrols in waters off Somalia to intercept pirates who seized a South Korean oil tanker Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

The 300,000-ton Samho Dream, carrying $170 million worth of crude oil, was hijacked on its way to the United States from Iraq, and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos was taken hostage.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the pirates have made no contact yet concerning the hijacking.

``We believe the ship has been seized by Somali pirates, based on the details of our last communication with the ship,'' a ministry officials told reporters.

The Seoul government is dealing with the situation, putting top priority on the lives and safety of the crewmembers, but it won't be engaged in any direct negotiation with the pirates for the safe release of the ship and its sailors, the official said.

The South Korean Navy's Cheonghae Unit is comprised of the Yi Sun-shin, a Chungmugong-class KDX-II destroyer.

The destroyer is equipped with an Mk 45 127mm gun, Harpoon ship-to-surface missiles, RAM Mk 31 ship-to-air guided missiles and a 30mm Goalkeeper system for engaging sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The 150-meter-long, 17-meter-wide ship has a top speed of 29 knots.

Since its deployment in March last year, the unit has successfully escorted domestic and foreign cargo ships through the troubled waters and thwarted attempts by pirates to hijack ships.

The destroyer also has a Lynx anti-submarine helicopter and a group of 30 UDT/SEAL forces onboard.

Increasingly brazen pirate activity and hefty ransoms have driven up insurance costs and forced some ships to go around South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

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* Related article

Korea Times
Korean Oil Tanker Hijacked by Somali Pirates
04-05-2010 08:44
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* Reference blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/02/text-fwd-yemen-and-militarization-of.html
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
[국 문 번역] Text Fwd: Yemen and The Militarization of Strategic Waterways
예멘과 전략적 물길들의 군사화

Text Fwd: Mission of Korean Anti-Piracy Forces Off Somalia Extended

Korea Times
12-29-2009 19:34
Mission of Korean Anti-Piracy Forces Off Somalia Extended
Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The National Assembly passed a motion Tuesday to extend the mission of the Navy's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit, which is in waters off Somalia, until the end of next year.

Since its deployment in March, the 300-strong unit has successfully escorted more than 300 domestic and foreign cargo ships through the troubled waters and thwarted nine attempts by pirates to hijack ships.

The contingent consists of a 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyer, a Lynx anti-submarine helicopter and a group of 30 UDT/SEAL forces.

Last month, a third contingent left for the Somali littorals as part of a four-month rotation.

The KDX-II destroyer is equipped with an Mk 45 127mm gun, harpoon ship-to-surface missiles, RAM Mk 31 ship-to-air guided missiles, and a 30mm Goalkeeper system for engaging sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. Built in 2003, the 150-meter-long, 17-meter-wide ship has a top speed of 29 knots. Located along the route of a crude-oil pipeline connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and racked by civil war, Somalia has become infamous for piracy.

Each year, about 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden headed for the Suez Canal, an important shipping route for international trade that links Europe to the Middle East and Asia. The International Maritime Organization counted 111 attacks in 2008 in waters near Somalia, the most notorious location for piracy in the world.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr