South Korea has completed the design phase of a new 5,200-tonne auxiliary submarine rescue (ASR-II) ship.
The country's Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the project, dubbed ASR-II, was initiated with South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in November 2015.
DAPA said ASR-II would be a more potent ship than the navy's 3,200-tonne submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin. It would be capable of operating at depths of up to 500 metres and in adverse weather conditions. In contrast, Cheonghaejin can only operate in waves below two metres high.
A design feature of ASR-II is its centre well, through which deep sea rescue vessels will be deployed. It would also enable the ROK Navy to conduct underwater exploration.
DAPA expects ASR-II to be delivered to the ROK navy by 2022. It will complement the nine KSS-II class submarines (Type 214) and a new class of large submarine, the KSS-III.
