New CG ship may patrol West PH Sea

The Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) first multi-role response vessel, the BRP Tubbataha (MRRV-4401), will be taking on coastal patrol duties as it sails home next month to Manila.

PCG spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo said the ship is expected to arrive in Manila on Aug. 18 after a seven-day journey from Yokohama, Japan.

The BRP will leave Yokohama on Aug. 11 en route to Naha for the bunkering operation of fuel oil before it makes its way home to the Philippines.

Balilo said an arrival ceremony will be held to welcome the first multi-role response vessel and crew, who will be taking on coastal patrol duties and other tasks upon its commissioning.

“Upon her arrival, an inspection will be conducted by the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Quarantine,” the PCG spokesperson said.

The handover and commissioning ceremony of the vessel to the Philippine government from the Japan International Cooperation Agency will be held on Sept. 1 with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade as guest of honor.

Balilo said the MRRV may be deployed to the West Philippine Sea if it is ordered to patrol beyond the 12 nautical miles currently covered by its patrols.

The BRP Pampanga is currently deployed to patrol the west side from Manila to Northern Luzon.

The BRP Tubbataha is a 44-meter vessel launched at the Yokohama shipyard of the Japan Marine United Corp. last May 12.

It is the first of 10 brand-new MRRVs to be built for the PCG, which Balilo said will be additional floating assets to the PCG’s search and rescue

vessels.

The rest of the new MRRVs are expected to be delivered to the country every three months until 2018.

Each MRRV costs P5.265 billion or ¥11.7 billion, or a total of P52.65 billion or ¥117 billion for all of the 10 MRRVs.

Balilo said the other MRRVs will also be named after the primary lighthouses in the country to denote its significance as one of the navigational aids in the maritime industry.

The BRP Tubbataha is equipped with fire monitors, night vision camera, radio direction finder, a bullet-proof navigational bridge and a work boat which can be used in search and rescue, maritime security and law enforcement.

With a maximum speed of 25 knots and cruising range of 1,500 miles, it can carry a 25-man crew.