Philippines Coast Guard - Modernization
On 20 December 1987, the horribly overcrowded Dona Paz ferry collided with the MV Vector oil tanker in the waters of the Tablas Strait, killing 4375 people by one estimate. Rescue ships and helicopters searched the sea south of Manila the next day but reported no trace of the thousands of people missing and presumed drowned. Most of the ferry passengers were heading to Manila for the Christmas holidays. On the night of April 14-15, 1912, 1,503 people died when the British liner Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic. On May 7, 1915, 1,198 people died when a German submarine sank the Lusitania.
The disaster exposed the sad condition of the Philippines Coast Guard. A year later, a Philippines government inquiry recommended that a new fleet of search-and-rescue vessels be acquired. In the late 1990s, Japan gave the PCG a search-and-rescue vessel that the agency named BRP Corregidor. The ship was one of two Philippine vessels that faced off with Chinese ships at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) between April and June 2012.
By 2001 twenty (20) ships and boats were undergoing construction (14 in Spain, and 6 in Australia) with another 12 ships under negotiation with Japan. These were slated for delivery starting December 2002, and one ship every month thereafter until 2005. The ships were equipped with high-tech radar, helicopter decks and 30mm double-barrel automatic cannons.
In 1998 Tenix won a contracat to supply two search-and-rescue vessels to the Philippines. The Australian government would fund most of the project through a grant and a low-interest loan. In 2000, Tenix signed a contract for the delivery of another six search and rescue vessels, with a further 10 ships to come in a third order [this third batch did not materialize].
TENIX constructed four 35 Meter Search and Rescue Vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard. The vessels were constructed at TENIX’s yard at Henderson, Western Australia alongside the four 56 Meter vessels already being built there. These 35 Meter vessels are ideally suited to the archipelagic waters of the Philippines, with combined twin screws and water-jet drive. In March 2012, the Australian Federal Police were investigating whether Tenix's dealings in the Philippines, and elsewhere in Asia, included illegal bribes and donations to politicians and officials.
On 30 October 2012, it was announced that the Philippines would buy five patrol boats from France for approximately 90 million euros ($116 million). Rear Admiral Luis Tuason, chief of the coastguard, said one 82-metre (271-foot) ship and four 24-metre (79-foot) patrol craft would be delivered by 2014.
The Coast Guard will acquire the French P400 class patrol boat "La Tapaguese" worth 6 million euros. Coast Guard commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena said the procurement of 54.8-meter French Navy vessel La Tapageuse to boost its capability for maritime search and rescue operations, maritime law enforcement, maritime safety, maritime environmental protection and maritime security."This French vessel is multi-functional and it would be a major contribution to our fleet. Unlike other vessels that are more appropriate for (Search and Rescue) operations, this soon-to-be latest addition was made for sovereignty patrol and law enforcement", Isorena said. He added the vessel will be deployed to places like the West Philippine Sea, Northern Luzon, and Southern Mindanao. The Tapaguese has a built-in 40-millimeter anti-aircraft gun, a 20-millimeter anti-aircraft cannon, and two 7.62-millimeter machine guns. While the vessel is already 26 years old, it was thoroughly inspected last year and it was assessed to have another 20 years of usage yet.
By September 2013 PCG acquisition efforts included the acquisition of ten (10) 40-meter Multi Role Response Vessels from Japan, one (1) 54-meter pre-owned naval vessel from France, and seven (7) Bell helicopters. Also in the pipeline is the procurement of four (4) 24-meter fast patrol boats and one (1) 82-meter offshore patrol vessel. Additionally, the PCG is already in the process of acquiring more equipment purposely for use during disaster relief and emergency response operations with a target acquisition of ninety (90) rubber boats, eighty (80) rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB), three hundred (300) aluminum-hulled rescue boats and six (6) jet ski personal watercraft units.
By July 2013 the Philippine Coast Guard expected to wrap up talks with the Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] within the next few months for the acquisition of 10 brand-new patrol boats from Japan in late 2014 or early 2015. The two sides have agreed that all 10 patrol boats will be 40 meters (131 feet) long. But they are still talking about other specifications. The JICA proposed that five of the vessels be built in the Philippines and the five others in Japan, but the Coast Guard prefers that all 10 patrol boats be built in Japan. Established in 1974, the JICA is the primary Japanese government agency engaged in technical cooperation and other forms of aid promoting socio-economic development in developing countries. The patrol boats that Japan planned to donate to the Philippines cost $11 million (about P473 million) each.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will have 10 more vessels in its fleet in order to fulfill its mandate to protect the country’s territorial waters in the wake of a maritime row with China, President Aquino said December 16, 2013. Aquino said he expects that after the bidding process, the first shipment of the newly acquired 40-meter multi-purpose vessels will arrive in the country in 2015. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) lent the Philippines P7.94 billion to upgrade the Philippine Coast Guard's fleet.
The 10 MRRVs will be built by the Japan Marine United Corporation (JMUC) Yokohama Shipyard for the PCG and will also be named after the primary lighthouses in the country to denote the important role of lighthouse as an aid to navigation to mariners.
The Commission on Audit said in a report December 9, 2013 that the PCG had 14 ships and 33 boats but little more than half the fleet is considered Ready For Sea. Only eight ships and 21 boats in the Philippine Coast Guard's fleet were seaworthy, with 40 percent of its assets reduced to floating scrap metal that are considered beyond repair. “The unserviceable floating assets…are already beyond economical repair. These are just left in piers and (are) a burden to PCG because personnel need to be assigned in the area to guard them,” COA said in the report.
In August 2018 Manila hosted the ceremony of commissioning two Parola-type patrol vessels, BRP Bagacay (MRRV 4410) and BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV 4411). In recent months, both ships reached the Philippines from Japan, where they were built ( BRP Bagacay Delivery, 6/01/2018). BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño are the last two Parola- type patrol ships that Japan Marine United in Yokohama built to guard the Philippines coast. As part of the Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) program, Filipinos acquired 10 units of this series ( Philippine patrols in line , 3/30/2018). Their purchase is financed from government funds, as well as thanks to a loan of PHP 7.3 billion (about PLN 502 million) granted to Manila by the Japanese authorities.
Parola- type patrol vessels are 44.5 m long and 7.5 m wide. They develop 25 in. The marching speed is about 15 in, and the range - about 2800 km. They will serve, among others to patrol selected water bodies, prevent smuggling of illegal substances and materials into the country, control the influx of immigrants and combat illegal fishing.
Australia's Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Maritime Disaster Response Helicopter Acquisition Project involves the procurement of seven Maritime Disaster Response (MDR) helicopters for Philippine Coast Guard to strengthen and expand their MDR capabilities during maritime incidents and natural disasters and calamities. The project will also involve the training of pilots and technical crew, procurement of mission equipment, procurement of maintenance tools and spare parts for five years, and the construction of hangers for the helicopters and offices for the pilots and technical crew.
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