Vietnam upgrades Cam Ranh naval harbour, open for upto 110,000 tonnage aircraft carrier.

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- Vietnam paid 90 million USD to upgrade Cam Ranh international harbour
- During less than 2 years ( since 9/2014 ), the international harbour completed the Phase 1
- The Harbour could receive 18 big ships at once including 110,000 ton Aircraft Carrier, ie. Nimitz or Gerald Ford class.
- Japan Navy would be the launch customer.
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Cam Ranh international seaport inaugurated
Tuesday, March 08, 2016 - 17:38:23
(VOVworld) – Cam Ranh international seaport was inaugurated on Tuesday. In his address, President Truong Tan Sang praised efforts by the Sai Gon port corporation, the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and other relevant ministries and agencies to implement this project.

He said: “The sea plays a strategically important role in Vietnam’s national development and defense so the Party and state have devised a program to develop the marine economy alongside national defense and security. Cam Ranh international seaport should be developed as Vietnam’s leading deepwater seaport providing international maritime, logistics and ship repair services. Its development will contribute to Vietnam’s extensive international integration and foreign policy of openness, multilateralization, and diversification.”

 

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TOKYO – A Japanese submarine will visit the Philippines for the first time in 15 years, along with two warships that will then sail on to Vietnam
The Japanese submarine, which is used for training, and the destroyers will arrive in the Philippines in April.
The escort vessels will later sail to Vietnam’s strategic Cam Ranh Bay base in the South China Sea, the source said.

 

[Dandpatta]

Vietnam must thank the US for Cam Ranh Bay naval base before the US left in defeat - and later, the Russians post 75 era. It was and is a strategic port in all respects and if commercial / naval shipping hub capabilities can be galvanised, there is no looking back for this port. Added to that, Vietnamese production is on an upswing with many manufacturing units being relocated into this country from China - plus - heavy capital investment potential.

 

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Actually, Vietnam allowed US ships to make port call to Cam Ranh before,
But, they aren't not combatants.

Now, all warships are allowed.

In 2012, US defense secretary visit Richard E. Byrd - a T-AKE 4 in Cam Ranh

Exercise with Japan Navy

US gifted Vietnam 30 of these for law enforcement

 

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• U.S. Department of Defense

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Transcript
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta
June 03, 2012

Media Availability with Secretary Panetta in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA: Thank you very much. Good afternoon.

This is an historic day for the United States of America. I’m the first United States secretary of defense to visit Cam Ranh Bay since the war.

For me personally, this is a very moving moment because on last Monday, I stood before the Vietnam Memorial to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Today, I stand on a U.S. ship here in Cam Ranh Bay to recognize the 17th anniversary of the normalization of relationships between United States and Vietnam. And I’m here to take stock of the partnership that we are developing with Vietnam. As a Pacific power, and as I said yesterday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, it’s only natural that we look for future opportunities, for partnership with Southeast Asia nations such as Vietnam.



Read more: Briefing by Secretary Panetta with Media in Cam Ranh, Vietnam | IIP Digital

 

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Vietnam Unveils New Port Facility For Foreign Warships in Cam Ranh Bay | The Diplomat

Vietnam Unveils New Port Facility For Foreign Warships in Cam Ranh Bay
Hanoi inaugurates a much-awaited international port facility along the South China Sea

ByPrashanth Parameswaran
March 10, 2016

On Tuesday, Vietnam inaugurated an international port facility capable of receiving foreign warships at Cam Ranh Bay along the South China Sea.

An opening ceremony was held to mark the completion of the first construction phase of the facility, called Cam Ranh International Port, located in Cam Ranh Bay, a deep-water harbor in central Vietnam along the South China Sea. The ceremony was attended by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang along with several high-ranking military leaders.

The much-anticipated move, which was initially approved by Vietnam’s defense ministry back in September 2014, is part of an ongoing effort by Hanoi to build a new dual-use facility that can accommodate and service foreign ships. The port facility would allow Vietnam to both boost its commercial attractiveness as a hub for ships as well as increase naval engagements with foreign countries amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

“The inauguration of the port will not only support nation building and its protection but also make it one of Vietnam’s leading deep-sea ports and supply service areas,” Sang said in his remarks at the ceremony according toVietnam News.

Several countries had already expressed interest in potential access to the facility even before its completion. In 2012, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said during an historic visit to Cam Ranh Bay that access for U.S. naval ships into this facility is “a key component” of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship. The United States had used Cam Ranh Bay as a base during the Vietnam War, before the then-Soviet Union leased it following the end of the war in 1975.

But while U.S.-Vietnam defense relations have intensified over the past few years, Washington is still seeking the ability for U.S. naval vessels to make port calls or secure access to Cam Ranh Bay (See: “What’s Next for US-Vietnam Relations?”). U.S. president Barack Obama is expected to visit Vietnam in May (See: “Obama Will Visit Vietnam in May 2016 to Boost Ties”).

Apart from the United States, last year, an agreement was also reached between Vietnam and Japan for Japanese vessels to make port calls in Cam Ranh Bay (See: “Japan Warships Could Visit Vietnam Naval Base Near South China Sea in 2016”). As I noted then, the move was just the latest in a series of steps the two sides have taken to boost their defense relationship. Earlier this week, reports suggested that two Japanese warships would sail to Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay in April after first arriving in Subic Bay in the Philippines, another former U.S. base (See: “Japanese Submarine to Visit Philippines Amid South China Sea Tensions”).

Vietnamese defense officials, keen to preserve the country’s key objective of diversifying and multilateralizing its foreign relations and avoid antagonizing China, have repeatedly stressed the dual-use nature of the facility (despite the often singular emphasis on the military component) and that it would be open to all – not just a few – countries. They have also emphasized that the new port facility is separate from the country’s naval base, which is also located in Cam Ranh.

Though details of the new facility have not been publicly disclosed,The Diplomatunderstands that it has piers that will be able to receive aircraft carriers as well as submarines. Other facilities, including a repair base, warehouse, and an international maritime exhibition center are also expected to be built.

There has been no public confirmation on the final date for the completion of the second phase of the project. But Vietnamese officials, including President Sang himself, have unsurprisingly sought to emphasize the less controversial commercial component of the port facility in public remarks, including its ability to attract commercial ships for repair and refueling and becoming a model for future ports.

“We must promote the Cam Ranh international port to the world to attract major shipping brands to come to Cam Ranh for maintenance, repair, and refueling, including fresh water and food,” Sang said in his address at the opening ceremony.

According to official estimates, the total investment for the project is around two trillion dong ($89.7 million), with a quarter of that coming from PetroVietnam and the rest from Saigon New Port Corporation. Upon completion, the port, expected to be the largest in Vietnam by wharf length, will serve as a key naval maintenance and logistics facility for foreign warships, handling 18 ships at a time and receiving 185 ships annually.

 

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Exclusive: U.S. sees new Chinese activity around South China Sea shoal| Reuters

World | Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:19pm EDT
Exclusive: U.S. sees new Chinese activity around South China Sea shoal
WASHINGTON | BY DAVID BRUNNSTROM AND ANDREA SHALAL

The United States has seen Chinese activity around a reef that China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago that could be a precursor to more land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy chief said on Thursday.

The head of U.S. naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could be a trigger for Beijing to declare an exclusion zone in the busy trade route.

Richardson told Reuters the United States was weighing responses to such a move.

He said the U.S. military had seen Chinese activity around Scarborough Shoal in the northern part of the Spratly archipelago, about 125 miles (200 km) west of the Philippine base of Subic Bay.

"I think we see some surface ship activity and those sorts of things, survey type of activity, going on. That’s an area of concern ... a next possible area of reclamation," he said.

Richardson said it was unclear if the activity near the reef, which China seized in 2012, was related to the pending arbitration decision.

He said China's pursuit of South China Sea territory, which has included massive land reclamation to create artificial islands elsewhere in the Spratlys, threatened to reverse decades of open access and introduce new "rules" that required countries to obtain permission before transiting those waters.

He said that was a worry given that 30 percent of the world's trade passes through the region.

Asked whether China could respond to the ruling by the court of arbitration in The Hague by declaring an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did farther north in the East China Sea in 2013, Richardson said: "It’s definitely a concern."

"We will just have to see what happens," he said. "We think about contingencies and … responses."

Richardson said the United States planned to continue carrying out freedom-of-navigation exercises within 12 nautical miles of disputed South China Sea geographical features to underscore its concerns about keeping sea lanes in the region open.

JOINT PATROLS?

The United States responded to the East China Sea ADIZ by flying B-52 bombers through the zone in a show of force in November 2013.

Richardson said he was struck by how China's increasing militarization of the South China Sea had increased the willingness of other countries in the region to work together, not just bilaterally, but also multilaterally.

India and Japan joined the U.S. Navy in the Malabar naval exercise since 2014, and were slated to take part again this year in an even more complex exercise that will take place in an area close to the East and South China Seas.

South Korea, Japan and the United States were also working together more closely than ever before, he said.

Richardson said the United States would welcome the participation of other countries in joint patrols with the United States in the South China Sea, but those decisions needed to be made by the countries in question.

He said the U.S. military saw good opportunities to build and rebuild relationships with countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and India, which have all realized the importance of safeguarding the freedom of the seas.

He cited India's recent hosting of an international fleet review that included 75 ships from 50 navies, and said the United States was exploring opportunities to increase its use of ports in the Philippines and Vietnam, among others - including the former U.S. naval base at Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay.

But he said Washington needed to proceed judiciously rather than charging in "very fast and very heavy," given the enormous influence and importance of the Chinese economy in the region.

"We have to be sophisticated in how we approach this so that we don’t force any of our partners into an uncomfortable position where they have to make tradeoffs that are not in their best interest," he said.

"We would hope to have an approach that would ... include us a primary partner but not necessarily to the exclusion of other partners in the region," he said.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

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If choose Cam Ranh as center, draw a circle of 3500 km of diameter to the South
you have Diego Garcia, Guam and Darwin in the curve.

 

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Japanese Warships Arrive in Vietnam to Join Drills in South China Sea
© REUTERS/ Toru Hanai
Military & Intelligence
09:35 12.04.2016Get short URL

Two ships of the the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) arrived on Tuesday in the Vietnamese naval base of Cam Ranh Bay in the South China Sea to join the naval drills aimed at keeping a check on China amid territorial disputes, media reported.
TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the Kyodo news agency, the purpose of the drills is to contain China's influence, which has recently been increasing its military presence in the South China Sea in the vicinity of the disputed Xisha Islands, or Paracel Islands, and Nansha, or the Spratly Islands.

The Paracel Islands are controlled by China while being claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. The Spratly Islands are contested by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Last year, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh agreed during the talks in Hanoi that a JMSDF vessel will make a port call at Cam Ranh Bay, as well as agreed to conduct joint defense drills. Nakatani then personally visited the Cam Ranh Bay Naval Base, and expressed interest in using the facility by the Japanese ships.
In February, a JMSDF team conducted joint exercises with the Vietnamese Navy for three days in the Southeast Asian country and nearby waters.

Read more: Japanese Warships Arrive in Vietnam to Join Drills in South China Sea

 

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Mistral-class BPC Tonnerre would visit Cam Ranh from 2-6 May 2016.

 

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The latest imagery update available in Google Earth shows some new developments at Vietnam’s deep-water port of Cam Ranh Bay. For starters, we get a clear view of the new international port facility that was inaugurated back in March. Space snapshots acquired by DigitalGlobe show extensive berthing areas including a 640 meter finger pier and a 500 meter quay wall. Several new administrative and support buildings were also visible since the previous update.

Hanoi has been telegraphing the construction of this facility for some time in anticipation to draw foreign civilian and military ships. Upon opening, the Vietnamese press put emphasis on aircraft carriers up to 110,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) and cruise ships weighing up to 100,000 GRT (gross tonnage). The mention of the former, of course, hints at how far U.S.-Vietnam relations have come.

And certainly some sizable vessels have made their way to the Southeast Asian port. The first vessel from the Republic of Singapore, the lead Endurance Class (207) LST, set sail from Changi naval base and arrived on 17 March for a five day port call. Satellite imagery even captured the 141 meter long vessel berthed at the new finger pier (above).

Subsequently, two Japanese guided-missile destroyers made their way to the port the following month in a move meant to boost defense ties and reify Japan’s support for regional security. Unsurprisingly, the Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told the press at the time that Japan would work with the United States to ensure regional peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Beyond regional vessels, the first reported western boat also arrived earlier this month. On 02 May, the French Mistral-class (LHD) amphibious assault ship arrived for a four day port call. The latest vessel and by far the largest, the French ship was loaded with naval cadets which signaled “the desire to increase cooperation between the armed forces and governments,” according to a press release from the French embassy in Hanoi.

Additional space snapshots showed Phase II still under construction at the time of capture. The imagery confirms press reporting that the international port facility will feature ship maintenance and repair services.

Located to the north of Phase I, imagery acquired in March shows the ship repair facility with four covered halls, a transverse table, and a synchrolift (or ship elevator), all in various states of build. New administrative and support buildings were also visible. In addition, a 890 sq meter cleared section of land was noted behind the covered halls. This could support the staging of ship plates and modules for new vessel construction. In that case, the maintenance facility would also double as a fabrication shop.

We await future imagery for more insight.

Marshal Gelovani - Russian Navy

 

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Mistral-class Tonnerre