Japan officially turns over the 1st Patrol Vessel to the Philippine Coast Guard BRP Tubbataha

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Maritime Security News - Japan, Philippines
 
 
 
Japan officially turns over the 1st Patrol Vessel to the Philippine Coast Guard BRP Tubbataha
 
The Philippine Coast Guard formally received the first multi-role response vessel BRP Tubbataha from the Japan Government today after her Arrival and Blessing Ceremony at the Headquarters Coast Guard Ready Force, Pier 13, South Harbor in Manila at 9am. The 44-meter vessel was named after Lighthouse Tubbataha which is located in Tubbataha Marine National Park, Palawan.
     
The Philippine Coast Guard formally received the first multi-role response vessel BRP Tubbataha from the Japan Government today after her Arrival and Blessing Ceremony at the Headquarters Coast Guard Ready Force, Pier 13, South Harbor in Manila at 9am. The 44-meter vessel was named after Lighthouse Tubbataha which is located in Tubbataha Marine National Park, Palawan.
The vessel departed Japan on August 11 with two (2) PCG officers and ten (10) non-officers onboard.
     
Nine (9) more MRRVs will be built by the Japan Marine United Corporation (JMUC) Yokohama Shipyard for the Coast Guard and will also be named after the primary lighthouses in the country to denote the important role of the lighthouse as an aid to navigation to mariners.

Rear Admiral Melad lauded the Japanese government for the continuous and unwavering support to the PCG’s capability development programs. Over the past 18 years, Japan thru the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended numerous assistance to the Philippine Coast Guard in terms of human resource development, providing additional equipment for the communications, diving and rescue, personal protective equipment for oil spill combat operations, and donating small boats and rubber boats.

BRP Corregidor (AE-891), a 56-meter lighthouse/buoy tender vessel which is one of the capital ships of the PCG primarily used in the installation of buoys and other aids to navigation and in the removal of obstructions and hazards to the safety of navigation is marked as the first ever Coast Guard vessel donated by the Japan government in 1998.

The project formally called the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project was awarded by the transportation department to the Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) last week. It is being implemented as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project, via a tied loan extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The loan facility covers P 7,373,700,000.00 out of the total project of P 8,807,700,000.00. The balance will be sourced from the Philippine counterpart of P 1, 434,000,000.00.

Under the project terms, the MRRVs will be used by the PCG for the following purposes:

• Primary rescue vessels within the PCG District’s areas of responsibility (AOR) when the extent of the disaster is beyond the capability of floating assets deployed within the area;

• Assistance in the control of oil pollution and protection of the marine environment;

• Enforcement of all applicable maritime laws within the designated AOR, particularly relating to illegal fishing and sea patrol;

• Service as platform for rapid response during relief operations in the area;

• Transport of personnel and logistical support.

The MRRVs will be deployed to various PCG Districts across the country, including Manila, La Union, and Puerto Princesa.

JMU’s winning bid is in the amount of 12,790,000,000.00 Japanese Yen, and includes the supply of standard spare parts and tools, crew training, ocean transportation, and marine insurance. The vessels will have a standard cruising speed of 25 knots, and a range of 1,500 nautical miles.