[Tomvart]

I am not overly surprised to hear of a loss of an RTN ship to be honest, an ex shipmate of mine (now working for Saab) did some work for the RTN 5 years ago (installing the CMS and FC systems).

He was asked to go to sea on trials in the two Chinese built Naresuan class frigates he had just integrated the Saab 9LV CMS into - and despite having over 40 years experience at sea in both RN and Swedish naval ships, he refused point blank - stating that they were too dangerous to go to sea in for a number of reasons:

1. Liferafts secured to the deck with no hydrostatic release mechanisms on the gripes.
2. Rubber seals on watertight bulkhead doors/hatches either missing, corroded or painted over.
3. Emergency escape hatches from compartments below the waterline permanently sealed or padlocked.

Not sure if this class was an exception - but he has refused to get involved with RTN contracts after his experiences in Naresuan and Taksin.