US Navy’s expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Fall River (T-EPF-4) has wrapped up 28 days of repairs in Laem Chabang, Thailand.
Fall River completed the critical maintenance on February 13, and is now able to continue theater security cooperation efforts in the region.
“The ability to conduct voyage repairs in Laem Chabang represents the strong relationship we have with the nation and people of Thailand,” said Capt. Lex Walker, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7.
“By conducting maintenance away from the ship’s homeport, the US Navy is afforded greater operational flexibility to remain forward deployed and provide naval presence in cooperation with our regional partners.”
As Thailand’s largest port, Laem Chabang is capable of accommodating nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
The US Navy works with the Royal Thai Navy through annual bilateral and multilateral exercises including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series conducted since 1995. Other exercises include the multilateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise involving more than a dozen partner nations.
Most recently, the 37th iteration of the annual multilateral Cobra Gold exercise kicked off Feb. 13 in Thailand. The 10-day exercise has grown into the one of the region’s largest multinational exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.
“It is incredible to experience the unwavering commitment of regional navies to cooperatively work together towards the unified goal of security, stability and prosperity,” said Walker.
Fall River is one of three expeditionary fast transport ships in the US 7th Fleet area of responsibility to continue its mission of providing rapid intra-theater transport of troops and military equipment.