Coast Guard’s New Multi-Role Ship
The first Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) built by Japan Marine United Corporation (JMUC) at the Yokohama Shipyard under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project (MSCIP) for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) arrived on 18 August 2016. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) report said that the ship departed from Japan and “sailed through rough waters” to deliver the ship to the Philippines on time on August 11. The ship carried two (2) PCG officers and ten (10) non-officers including Japanese crew onboard.
The MSCIP is implemented as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) via a tied loan extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The loan facility covers P7,373,700,000 out of the total project of P8,807,700,000. The balance will be sourced from the Philippine counterpart of P1,434,000,000.
In a statement, JICA Chief Representative Susumo Ito said “The cooperation aims to build the capacity of the Philippines in boosting Maritime safety for socio-economic development. As an archipelago, the Philippines will benefit greatly from the Japanese ship.”
The vessel was formally received by the PCG during the Arrival and Blessing Ceremony at the Headquarters Coast Guard Ready Force at Pier 13 of Manila South Harbor at 9am. The vessel, officially named BRP Tubbataha after the lighthouse in the Tubbataha Marine National Park in Palawan, is a 44-meter with a top speed of 25-knots and has a range of 1,500 nautical miles.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade underscores that the vessel is part of a project contracted and secured by the previous administration. “We are receiving it in behalf of the government”, he said. He also commented, “Ayaw namin ng nagnanakaw ng kalabaw.”
Nine (9) more MRRVs will be delivered by Japan quarterly and the next will be arriving on December of this year. JMUC will provide the supply of standard spare parts and tools, crew training, ocean transportation and marine insurance. According to the Coast Guard, the other nine MRRVs “will also be named after primary lighthouses in the country to denote the important role of the lighthouse as an aid to navigation to mariners.”
Under the project terms, the MRRVs will be used by the PCG for the following:
- 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.
Rear Admiral William Melad lauded the Japanese government for the continuous and unwavering support to the PCG’s capability development programs. Over the past 18 years, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended numerous assistance to the PCG 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. ●