Coast Guard commissions first Japanese-built MRRV
JAPANESE Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa joined Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu at the commissioning ceremony on May 6 for the first of two 97m-class multirole response vessels (MRRV) of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG): the BRP Teresa Magbanua.
The first MRRV arrived in the Philippines in February, with the second due in June 2022. Said vessels, which are the largest in the PCG fleet, were built in the Shimonoseki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., where PCG crewmembers also completed the training program and sea trials before and after sailing to Manila.
At the ceremony Koshikawa said: “Japan strongly hopes that BRP Teresa Magbanua will continue to play an important role in the Philippine seas for decades to come as a flagship of the PCG, and as a symbol of friendship [of] our two nations.”
He also expressed appreciation for the dedication and relentless efforts of both Filipino and Japanese stakeholders in making the vessel operational.
The envoy also pointed out that the ship embodies the two governments’ strong vow to preserve maritime order under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. It also further strengthens the friendly ties between Japan and the Philippines. The provision of the two 97m-class patrol vessels indicates the advancement of their countries’ maritime-security cooperation.
The acquisition of the two MRRVS was made possible under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project-phase 2, with official development assistance or ODA funding from the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA.