MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan Navy delegation off to South Korea to bring home patrol boat

Only 52 Chamsuri class boats remain active worldwide to this day

A 7-member team of the Uruguayan Navy has been dispatched to South Korea to take delivery of a Chamsuri-class patrol boat donated to the South American country, it was reported in Montevideo. The unit is due in the River Plate by early 2024, aboard a specialized transport vessel, it was explained.

According to uncorroborated reports in the Uruguayan capital, the new unit is expected to be based at La Paloma, where Brazilian fishing boats are known to invade Uruguay's territorial sea.

Chamsuri class boats displace 113 tons with a length of 33 meters, a beam of just under seven meters, and a draft of only 1.75 meters. It has a maximum speed of 38 knots with a maximum range of about 1,000 nautical miles for a crew of 31. They are powered by two MTU 16V MD538 TU90 diesel engines turning two propellers creating 10,800 brake horsepower (8,100 kW) or 9,000 bhp (6,700 kW) sustained. The ships have two 50 kW diesel generator sets for electricity production.

The fast unit is to reinforce the Uruguayan Navy's might, which so far consists of patrol boats armed with .50 or 7.62x51mm machine guns. The Chamsuri class has a 40mm gun forward along with two 20mm Sea Vulcan mounts aft, giving it a firepower capability far superior to that of the Navy's current patrol vessels.

A total of 101 Chamsuri class boats were built in South Korea between the 1970s and 1980s by the Korea Tacoma, and Korea SB & Eng. Masan shipyards for defense purposes against North Korean amphibious incursions. In 2002, a Chamsuri-class patrol boat, PKM 357 was sunk during the Battle of Yeongpyeong against North Korean forces.

They have been exported to other navies, of which that of The Philippines is the main user. They are also to be seen at the service of the navies of Ghana, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, and East Timor. Only 52 Chamsuri class boats remain active.