The BRP Davao del Sur at the South Harbor in Manila. (Photo from the Facebook page of the AFP)
The Philippine Navy will welcome its newest ship, a strategic sealift vessel (SSV), on Wednesday, at the South Harbor in Manila.
The BRP Davao del Sur (LD-802) left Subaraya, Indonesia last week and arrived in Manila on Monday.
The vessel is the Navy’s second SSV, the first being the BRP Tarlac, which arrived last year.
The ships, Makassar-class landing platform docks, cost P4 billion. This type is the biggest ship of the Philippine Navy.
According to a Navy press advisory, Rear Adm. Gaudencio Collado Jr., chief of naval staff, will lead the welcome ceremony.
The new vessel has a minimum operating range of 7,500 nautical miles. It measures about 120 meters long and has a maximum carrying capacity of 11,583 tons.
The ship can carry 500 troops, two landing craft units, three helicopters and two rigid-hull inflatable boats.
It can serve as a military sealift and transport vessel and may act as floating command-and-control ship during times of humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.
Its sister ship, BRP Tarlac, has also served as a naval blockade in Mindanao to help in the campaign against terrorists.
The Navy will hold a separate commissioning ceremony for BRP Davao del Sur. –Frances Mangosing /atm