TSAMTO, November 29. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (part of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, MHI) announced the launch ceremony of the second (out of two ordered by the Philippine Coast Guard) multi-purpose patrol ship MRRV (Multi-Role Response Vessels) on November 18.
The ceremony was held at the MHI Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Shimonoseki (Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan).
As reported by TSAMTO, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reached an agreement on the supply of two 97-meter multi-purpose patrol ships MRRV (Multi-Role Response Vessels) to the Philippine Coast Guard on the sidelines of the 29th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Laos in September 2016. The acquisition is carried out as part of the second phase of the "Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project" (MSCIP Phase 2), agreed by the Governments of the Philippines and Japan in October 2016.
Previously, ten 44-meter MRRV multipurpose patrol ships were built for the Philippine Coast Guard in Japan by Japan Marine United (JMU) as part of the first phase of the MSCIP Project.
Financing for the delivery of the second batch of ships is carried out mainly at the expense of the Japanese ODA development assistance program (official development assistance). The loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency is 16.455 billion yen.
The contract for the design, construction and delivery of two 97-meter MRRV ships with a total cost of 14.55 billion rubles. The yen was signed by the Philippine Ministry of Transportation with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. on December 27, 2019 and entered into force on May 8, 2020. The construction of the vessels (according to the adapted design of the Kunigami-class ship of the Japanese Coast Guard) began in December 2020. The launch of the lead ship of the series took place on July 26, 2021. It is expected to arrive in Manila by March 2022, and the second one in two months (by May 2022). The baptism and official transfer of the lead vessel are scheduled for May 2022, the second - for September 2022. After delivery, the ships will become the largest in the Philippine Coast Guard.
According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, the length of the ship is 96.6 m, width - 11.5 m, displacement - 2260 tons, maximum design speed - at least 24 knots, cruising range - at least 4000 nautical miles. Both ships will be equipped with secure communication systems, a helipad and a hangar for the use of helicopters, an underwater remotely controlled vehicle, as well as high-speed inflatable boats. The ships will be used to control the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country and promptly respond to incidents or crimes at sea. In addition, they will be used for search and rescue operations, support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.
