HTMS ''Similan'' (871) ( th, เรือหลวงสิมิลัน) is a
replenishment oiler
A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers.
Th ...
(AOR) of the
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...
. She was intended to support the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
and its escorts. ''Similan'' was constructed in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
at the Hudong Shipyard through a 1993 contract with the
China State Shipbuilding Corporation
The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is a Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate.
Description
CSSC is one of the top 10 defence groups in China. It consists of various shipyards, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and shipbu ...
. The ship was commissioned in 1996. At the time, ''Similan'' was the largest ship in the Thai navy and the largest naval ship exported by China.
The design is a flush-decked development of the Chinese Type 905 AOR resembling the French ''
Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Type 903.
Design
''Similan'' has two refueling stations on each side. Solid cargo is transferred by helicopter.
The ship was planned to be armed with Chinese weapons; four
Type 76 twin 37 mm naval gun
The Type 76 twin 37mm naval gun is a small caliber naval artillery piece from the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and depende ...
''Similan'' deployed together with in 2010 and in 2011 to combat
piracy off the coast of Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. ...
as part of
Combined Task Force 151
Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational naval task force, set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to enga ...