Ship & Boat International: eNews July/August 2019
The Bangladesh Coast Guard has taken delivery of three new patrol boats, built domestically by state-owned Khulna Shipyard. The trio, namely CGS Sonar Bangla (pictured), CGS Apurbo Bangla and CGS Aparajeya Bangla, were designed by China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company (CSOC) and are based on the Padma patrol boat class that Khulna has produced for both the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy since 2011. One tweak, however, is that, whereas the Padma-class vessels are typically fitted with four propellers apiece, each of the adapted three vessels has been equipped with two.
CGS Sonar Bangla and her sisters each measure 50.4m x 7.5m, displace 350tonnes and utilise twin MTU 12V 4000 M93 diesels, driving ZF 7600 gearboxes, for a speed of 23knots. Each of the trio has a range of 1,500nm at 15knots and can accommodate a 45-person crew. Khulna also reports that it is commencing work on two new vessels for the Bangladesh Coast Guard.
