Patrol ships and boats represent the largest class of combatants. They are used to maintain order, accomplish patrol missions, intercept and convoy trespassers, protect fishery and execute other law- enforcement missions. These diverse requirements have led to the development of various types of patrol ships and boats; that's why a single country can simultaneously operate several such types. Currently, the total number of patrol ships and boats amounts to more than 4,000. They account for over a half of all ships in the world's navies as each sea country is highly concerned with safety of its coasts and offshore economic zones.
The displacement of patrol ships and boats varies from several tons to 6,000 t, and the maximum speeds vary from 10 to 65 knots depending on the diversity of their missions and the specifics of operational areas.
Actually, patrol ships and boats are peacetime vessels designed to:
- guard the state border, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf;
- protect individual freighters and vessels loaded with hazardous cargoes in ports (harbors, roads), as well as underwater pipelines and communications cable lines;
- suppress smuggling, drug traffic and illegal migration;
- support customs, sanitary and other types of clearance of arriving and departing vessels;
- search for and rescue aircraft, helicopters, other flying vehicles, ships and vessels during accidents in coastal areas;
- maintain sea navigation aids;
- monitor ecological situation and reveal pollution sources.
In terms of missions and appropriate technical characteristics, patrol boats can be classified as:
- high-speed border guard boats designed to intercept trespassers;
- patrol boats intended to guard the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf from unauthorized activities (fishery, mining, etc.) of foreign vessels;
- coast guard boats well-equipped for search and rescue operations and used to monitor legally established navigation procedures in coastal areas and to help vessels and flying vehicles in emergency;
- police boats with a maximum displacement of 15 t intended to maintain order in port water areas and harbors, as well as to protect vessels loaded with hazardous cargoes;
- customs boats used to deliver teams of customs officers to and from arriving and departing vessels;
- special-purpose boats used to guard underwater pipelines and cables, monitor ecological situation in coastal areas and in airspace and to maintain navigation aids.
miércoles, 18 de agosto de 2010
Navy patrol boat with 104 crew members on board sank near North Korea
A Navy patrol boat with 104 crew members on board sank near the western maritime border with North Korea after an explosion on Friday, the Joint Chief of Staff said.
The 1,200-ton Cheonan began to sink around 9:45 p.m. off Baengnyeong Island in the West Sea. There was an explosion in the rear of the ship, Lee Ki-shik, a senior intelligence operation official of the JCS said.
President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency security ministers’ meeting at 10 p.m.
Fifty-eight sailors had been rescued, the JCS official said.
The disputed border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.
The JCS said there was a possibility that the explosion was caused by an attack from North Korea or the boat’s own explosives.
“We do not know the cause of the incident, so we cannot clearly say the sinking was caused by North Korea,” Rear Admiral Lee told reporters.
A South Korean vessel fired warning shots toward the North around the time of the incident after its radar detected a suspicious object, he said. It was believed to be a flock of birds, he added.
Earlier in the day, North Korean forces conducted artillery firing drills in the area, according to military sources.
North Korea`s military also threatened South Korea and the United States with “unprecedented nuclear strikes" in response to a report that the two countries preparing for a contigency in the communist regime.
Immediately after the incident, the Navy sent helicopters and ships to the scene to rescue the crew of the Cheonan.
The JCS said there were no unusual military movements on the North Korean side.
President Lee ordered the military to focus efforts on rescuing the sailors.
"President Lee ordered the military to do its best to rescue the soldiers," the president was quoted as saying during the three-hour emergency meeting by presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
"For now, it is not certain whether North Korea is related" to the incident, she added.
The president will convene the meeting again in the morning, she said.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, Senior Presidential Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Security Kim Sung-hwan, National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon and other top officials attended the meeting.
The incident occurred near the Northern Limit Line, a disputed maritime border off the west coast.
North Korea which does not recognize the NLL and has been taking measures aimed at nullifying the de-facto maritime border drawn up by the U.N. Command at the end of the Korean War in 1953.
In June 1999, at least 17 South Korean and tens of North Korean sailors were killed in a naval firefight in the western sea border. In June 2002, six South Korean sailors and an estimated 13 North Koreans were killed in a clash and one South Korean frigate sank.
Last November, the navies of the two sides exchanged fire in the area. A North Korean patrol boat had retreated in flames but its casualties were unknown. No South Koreans were hurt.
The 1,200-ton Cheonan began to sink around 9:45 p.m. off Baengnyeong Island in the West Sea. There was an explosion in the rear of the ship, Lee Ki-shik, a senior intelligence operation official of the JCS said.
President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency security ministers’ meeting at 10 p.m.
Fifty-eight sailors had been rescued, the JCS official said.
The disputed border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.
The JCS said there was a possibility that the explosion was caused by an attack from North Korea or the boat’s own explosives.
“We do not know the cause of the incident, so we cannot clearly say the sinking was caused by North Korea,” Rear Admiral Lee told reporters.
A South Korean vessel fired warning shots toward the North around the time of the incident after its radar detected a suspicious object, he said. It was believed to be a flock of birds, he added.
Earlier in the day, North Korean forces conducted artillery firing drills in the area, according to military sources.
North Korea`s military also threatened South Korea and the United States with “unprecedented nuclear strikes" in response to a report that the two countries preparing for a contigency in the communist regime.
Immediately after the incident, the Navy sent helicopters and ships to the scene to rescue the crew of the Cheonan.
The JCS said there were no unusual military movements on the North Korean side.
President Lee ordered the military to focus efforts on rescuing the sailors.
"President Lee ordered the military to do its best to rescue the soldiers," the president was quoted as saying during the three-hour emergency meeting by presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
"For now, it is not certain whether North Korea is related" to the incident, she added.
The president will convene the meeting again in the morning, she said.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, Senior Presidential Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Security Kim Sung-hwan, National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon and other top officials attended the meeting.
The incident occurred near the Northern Limit Line, a disputed maritime border off the west coast.
North Korea which does not recognize the NLL and has been taking measures aimed at nullifying the de-facto maritime border drawn up by the U.N. Command at the end of the Korean War in 1953.
In June 1999, at least 17 South Korean and tens of North Korean sailors were killed in a naval firefight in the western sea border. In June 2002, six South Korean sailors and an estimated 13 North Koreans were killed in a clash and one South Korean frigate sank.
Last November, the navies of the two sides exchanged fire in the area. A North Korean patrol boat had retreated in flames but its casualties were unknown. No South Koreans were hurt.
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