Decommissioned BRP Palawan to be sunk, turned into shipwreck for training divers
By AJ Siytangco
Published Apr 9, 2019 04:45 pm
By Raymund Antonio
When ships get old, they’re sold for scrap, but the Philippine Coast Guard has other plans for the 59-year-old BRP Palawan, one of its decommissioned vessels.
(Photo by Philippine Coast Guard)
PCG commandant Admiral Elson Hermogino announced they would turn BRP Palawan into a shipwreck for the training of the agency’s technical divers.
“We just have to remove some parts such as its engine, clean the tank and remove the oil to make sure that it would not cause an oil spill when underwater,” he said during a media interview in Manila.
The Coast Guard is mulling sinking the 40-meter BRP Palawan in Anilao, Batangas, a known diving spot for local and foreign tourists.
“The ship would have to be sunk at the depth of 50 to 60 feet,” PCG Special Operations Force head Captain Edgardo Hernando said.
As a sunken shipwreck, PCG spokesperson Captain Armand Balilo said it can be used to train their technical divers on “how to move inside close quarters.”
“It would also be useful in training them on how to conduct search and rescue missions and also search and retrieval missions inside sunken ships,” Balilo explained.
The PCG had decommissioned the ship, originally named PG-64, in June last year after it was used for 26 years. The Philippines acquired the ship as a donation from the United States government in 1992.
Hermogino said the PCG has two other decommissioned ships up for disposal, but it would only be the BPR Palawan that would be sunk. The rest will end up in a scrap yard.
Apart from the training of divers, the commandant said the sinking of the ship will also free up berthing space for PCG’s active vessels.
Hermogino added that they would be coordinating with concerned agencies such as the Commission on Audi and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, including the local government in Batangas for the planned sinking of BRP Palawan.
(Photo by Philippine Coast Guard)
PCG commandant Admiral Elson Hermogino announced they would turn BRP Palawan into a shipwreck for the training of the agency’s technical divers.
“We just have to remove some parts such as its engine, clean the tank and remove the oil to make sure that it would not cause an oil spill when underwater,” he said during a media interview in Manila.
The Coast Guard is mulling sinking the 40-meter BRP Palawan in Anilao, Batangas, a known diving spot for local and foreign tourists.
“The ship would have to be sunk at the depth of 50 to 60 feet,” PCG Special Operations Force head Captain Edgardo Hernando said.
As a sunken shipwreck, PCG spokesperson Captain Armand Balilo said it can be used to train their technical divers on “how to move inside close quarters.”
“It would also be useful in training them on how to conduct search and rescue missions and also search and retrieval missions inside sunken ships,” Balilo explained.
The PCG had decommissioned the ship, originally named PG-64, in June last year after it was used for 26 years. The Philippines acquired the ship as a donation from the United States government in 1992.
Hermogino said the PCG has two other decommissioned ships up for disposal, but it would only be the BPR Palawan that would be sunk. The rest will end up in a scrap yard.
Apart from the training of divers, the commandant said the sinking of the ship will also free up berthing space for PCG’s active vessels.
Hermogino added that they would be coordinating with concerned agencies such as the Commission on Audi and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, including the local government in Batangas for the planned sinking of BRP Palawan.