Sufficiency Economy and Shipbuilding by Royal Naval Dockyard
บทความจาก
www.bangkokpost.com, outlook section, 30th April, 2007
Anchors aweigh!
The Royal Thai Navy's Tor 991 coastal patrol boat is sufficiency economy in action
Story by CAPT WIPAN CHAMACHOTE
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The Tor 991 coastal patrol boat at the Royal Naval Dockyard. |
Is the concept of a sufficiency economy applicable to the armed forces? The Royal Thai Navy has answered that challenging question with its newest coastal patrol boat, which is due to be launched later today.
Their Majesties the King and Queen are scheduled to preside over the launching ceremony, which will be held at the Royal Naval Dockyard at 5pm.
The idea for the vessel, constructed by the Navy to celebrate HM the King's 80th birthday, was suggested by His Majesty during a talk he had with a group of naval guard commanders back in 2002.
"War ships are gigantic and expensive," His Majesty observed.
 A working moment at dusk. |
 At work, renewing the Navy's knowledge and experience of shipbuilding. |
 At work, renewing the Navy's knowledge and experience of shipbuilding. |
"The costs of operation and maintenance are also high. The Navy should use appropriately sized ships and it should be able to build them itself."
Since the Navy had built Tor 91 coastal patrol boats in the past, the King suggested the Navy use this knowledge as a basis to build larger models. In his 2003 birthday speech, he again emphasised the importance of sufficiency for the armed forces. He also cited Tor 91 as an example of the sufficiency economy _ which brought great pride and joy to naval personnel.
That mention of Tor 91 showed that he remembered very well the first coastal patrol boat built by the Navy back in 1966, one of nine vessels built in response to a royal initiative.
His Majesty's vision of moderation and cost-effectiveness has shaped guidelines for Navy plans to add to its fleet.
So, instead of going for big, expensive ships, the top brass decided to build small vessels _ two more have been commissioned _ that could be used for routine coastal patrols, employing the Tor 91 as a template for the Tor 991.
The modest size of the new boats would not, on its own, qualify the project as being in accordance with royal guidelines on the sufficiency economy; the project also needed to be reasonable.
The question then is why the Navy has to expand its fleet at this time. Is it because it wants to become a leading power in the region?
No. The new vessels are necessary simply to replace ships which have become obsolete after more than 40 years in service.
So, why build three boats instead of just one?
Strategic practicality is the answer.
It is normal that a ship in a particular fleet should have two back-ups, so that the fleet can continue its operations without interruption.
So, when one ship is at sea, another will sit ready in the harbour as a substitute, while the third is in the dockyard for maintenance. Using this system ensures that the fleet is ready at all times.
In fact, the Navy initially asked for a budget for only one patrol boat. Fortunately, the cabinet approved funds for three ships, given the country's strategic needs, the project's cost-effectiveness and the government's wish to support the local shipbuilding industry.
While the Navy is in charge of building Tor 991, it has commissioned a private dockyard to build Tor 992 and Tor 993.
More importantly, the government gave the green light for the Navy's initiative because it is an important project to celebrate His Majesty's 80th birthday in December this year.
Immunity is another important element of His Majesty's sufficiency philosophy. This implies the need to be as self-reliant as possible in order to reduce risks from external factors.
The Navy has followed the immunity principle by having the Royal Naval Dockyard build Tor 991 itself instead of commissioning it from an overseas shipyard.
It can be said that every step of the project is wholly the work of Thai naval personnel, from the design to the finishing touches.
Being able to build our own ships has many advantages. Commissioning overseas shipyards entails many constraints and risks, from lack of close supervision to exposure to unexpected problems, such as industrial action, terrorism, fluctuating foreign currencies and an unstable global economy which could shut down the shipyard.
It can also be said that the immunity element in this project comes from strong teamwork, which is fostered by a deep reverence for His Majesty from everyone involved.
For them, the ship is a symbol of their deep devotion to our selfless monarch and their efforts to alleviate His Majesty's concerns, particularly when people are involved in disasters at sea.
The project is also an effort by the Navy to strengthen its body of knowledge and experience in shipbuilding, and to pass it on to a new generation.
The Navy is the only arm of the military that has a system to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next, as His Majesty noted during a ceremony to inaugurate the building of Tor 991 at the Royal Naval Dockyard.
Such royal approval of the Navy's traditions underscored the importance of the Navy in preserving shipbuilding knowledge and experience going back centuries.
The Royal Naval Dockyard has been in operation for 117 years, having served as the royal shipyard since the reign of King Chulalongkorn.
After a long hiatus in shipbuilding activities, the Tor 991 project has effectively revitalised the Navy's old knowledge and experience, while sharpening its use of new technologies to build a ship of which the country can feel proud.
In a mixture of old and new, the Tor 991 project used computerised design techniques. But old shipbuilding techniques, including the use of life-size wooden models to cut steel plates, were still employed.
Since sustaining the body of knowledge is crucial for immunity, it can be said that the project remains true to royal guidelines.
Indeed, it has helped the young to learn from their seniors, many of whom were involved with the building of the Tor 91 boats 40 years ago.
Knowledge was not the only thing that was passed on. Probably more importantly, the spirit of Thai shipbuilding was also passed on.
For naval cadets, this was not only a chance to gain first-hand experience of shipbuilding, it was also an inspirational time, working shoulder to shoulder with senior colleagues and observing the dedication and spirit of sharing that it is also part of their duty.
Such experience and collegial spirit needs to be nurtured so that the Navy can meet the challenge of building more and better ships in the future.
In the sufficiency philosophy, morality is an indispensable element.
By pooling resources and energy to make Tor 991 a reality, the project has reinforced the importance of hard, selfless work, perseverance and the need to put common goals before an individual's interests.
Tor 991 is not only a symbol of the Navy's reverence for His Majesty the King; it is an example of sufficiency in action.
ความเห็น (1)
วันนี้ (30 เม.ย.) พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถ และสมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดาฯ สยามบรมราชกุมารี เสด็จพระราชดำเนินมาทรงประกอบพิธีปล่อยเรือตรวจการณ์ใกล้ฝั่งเฉลิมพระเกียรติ 80 พรรษา ต.991 ลงน้ำ ณ อู่หมายเลข 1 กรมอู่ทหารเรือ ถนนอรุณอัมรินทร์ แขวงวัดอรุณ เขตบางกอกใหญ่ กรุงเทพมหานคร โดยมี พล.ร.อ.สถิรพันธุ์ เกยานนท์ ผู้บัญชาการทหารเรือ เข้าเฝ้ารับเสด็จฯ
ทั้งนี้ ภายหลังพิธีปล่อยเรือแล้วเสร็จ จะมีการเคลื่อนย้ายไปยังอู่ต่อเรือป้อมพระจุลจอมเกล้า จังหวัดสมุทรปราการ เพื่อทำการติดตั้งอุปกรณ์ในเรือให้เสร็จสมบูรณ์ ก่อนนำขึ้นน้อมเกล้าน้อมกระหม่อมถวายพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว ในโอกาสทรงเจริญพระชนมพรรษา 80 พรรษา ในวันที่ 5 ธันวาคม 2550 นี้ ในนามของพสกนิกรชาวไทย เพื่อเทิดพระเกียรติแด่พระองค์ที่ทรงมีพระอัจฉริยภาพในด้านการต่อเรือ โดยทรงมีพระราชดำริและพระบรมราชวินิจฉัยในเรื่องที่เกี่ยวกับการต่อเรือ เพื่อการพึ่งพาตนเองของกองทัพเรือมาโดยตลอด
สำหรับโครงการจัดสร้างเรือตรวจการณ์ใกล้ฝั่งเฉลิมพระเกียรติ 80 พรรษา ชุดใหม่นี้ กองทัพเรือได้อนุมัติจัดสร้างรวม 3 ลำ ประกอบด้วย เรือ ต.991, 992 และ เรือ ต.993 โดยเรือ ต.991 นี้ ได้มอบหมายให้กรมอู่ทหารเรือเป็นหน่วยรับผิดชอบดำเนินการสร้าง ส่วนอีก 2 ลำ ได้ว่าจ้างบริษัท มาร์ซัน ทำการต่อเพื่อเป็นการส่งเสริมอุตสาหกรรมต่อเรือภายในประเทศ โดยเรือตรวจการณ์ใกล้ฝั่งเฉลิมพระเกียรติทั้ง 3 ลำ มีกำหนดแล้วเสร็จก่อนวันที่ 5 ธันวาคม 2550 เพื่อร่วมเฉลิมพระเกียรติ และน้อมเกล้าน้อมกระหม่อมถวายพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว ในโอกาสที่จะทรงมีพระชนมพรรษา 80 พรรษา ในปีพุทธศักราช 2550