MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) first of 4 new patrol boats from France arrived in Subic Bay Seaport on Wednesday, August 8.
This is the first of 4 new boats made by French shipbuilder OCEA for the Coast Guard. Two others will be arriving this year and another one next year.The FPB 72 MKII is a 24-meter fast patrol boat with a maximum speed of 28 nautical miles per hour and a capacity for 12 crew members and 16 passengers.
The boat that arrived Wednesday is slated for commissioning on August 23 at the Coast Guard headquarters in Manila.
Aside from the patrol boats, the PCG will also buy an 82-meter Offshore Patrol Vessel.
The overall acquisition cost is P5.142 billion.
The patrol boats were acquired through an agreement between the Department of Transportation and French shipbuilder OCEA on September 9, 2014.
The deal includes training, provisions of spare parts, and technical assistance.
The 2nd and 3rd patrol boats are expected to arrive in September and November this year. The 4th vessel is expected to arrive in January 2019. – Rappler.com
.png?w=600)
