The Royal Thai Navy commissioned the navy-built patrol ship, HTMS Krabi, into service yesterday.
The vessel, which has a 1,969-tonne displacement, is the pride of the navy as it was built on the advice of His Majesty the King, navy chief Adm Surasak Rounroengrom said.
HTMS Krabi, an offshore patrol vessel, was built by the Royal Thai Navy's Mahidol Adulyadej Naval Dockyard in Sattahip at a cost of 2.8 billion baht.
It took four years to complete the ship, built to commemorate His Majesty the King's 84th birthday in 2011.
Adm Surasak said the navy would build its own patrol ships to replace old ones under the navy's development plan for 2012-2017. HTMS Krabi will carry out its first mission in Australia, with new naval graduates undergoing marine training in Sydney. The deployment will last more than a month.
The ship is equipped with a bulbous bow at its front, similar to a cargo ship, to lessen the impact of waves, Adm Surasak said.