The Royal Thai Navy Held a Ceremony to Receive its New Hydrographic Operations Vessel, HTMS Suriya - 822

02 April 2026

Royal Thai Navy (RTN) held commissioning ceremony of the new Hydrographic Vessel HTMS Suriya (822) built by Thailand's shipyard Asian Marine Service PCL (ASIMAR) at Royal Thai Naval Academy (RTNA) in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand on 30 March 2026 (photos: Royal Thai Navy) 

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) held a ceremony to receive the new hydrographic operations ship HTMS Suriya (the 3rd) on 30 March 2026 (2026) at Fort Suea Son Lep, Royal Thai Naval Academy (RTNA), Pak Nam Subdistrict, Muang District, Samut Prakan Province. Admiral Pairoj Fuengchan, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, presided over the ceremony.

The Royal Thai Navy signed a contract for the construction of a new hydrographic operations vessel to replace HTMS Suriya (the second vessel) for a sum of 885,000,000 baht ($24,552,298.35) with Asian Marine Service PCL (ASIMAR) of Thailand on September 22, 2023. 

The new hydrographic research vessel had its keel laid on February 27, 2024 at ASIMAR Thailand shipyard in Laem Fa Pha Subdistrict, Phra Samut Chedi District, Samut Prakan Province, followed by its launching ceremony at ASIMAR Thailand shipyard on May 19, 2025.

This coincides with "Abhakorn Day," the anniversary of the death of Admiral Prince Abhakorn Kiativongse, Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak, "the Father of the Royal Thai Navy," and the 8th waning moon of the 6th lunar month, "Attami Bucha Day," the day commemorating the cremation of the Buddha's body (eight days after "Visakha Bucha Day") in the year 2025.

The Royal Thai Navy requested three names from His Majesty the King for the ship: "HTMS Suriya (the 3rd)", "HTMS Apakorn" (both meaning sun, like the word "Suriya"), and "HTMS Kaewkosin", after the planet Kaewkosin, which was recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2023. The chosen name was "HTMS Suriya," continuing the lineage of the previous hull.

HTMS Suriya (3rd) will replace HTMS Suriya (2nd) which was built by Bangkok Dock Company, Thailand, ordered in 1976 for 52,517,000 baht at that time. The keel was laid on 10 August 1976 and it was commissioned on 15 January 1979, with a service life of about 46 years, which shows the continued promotion of the shipbuilding industry in Thailand by the Royal Thai Navy .

(AAG)