Logistics support vessel BRP Dagupan City (LS-551) will undergo a drydocking maintenance and repair procedure that will cost the Philippine Navy (PN) more than P124 million, a top military official disclosed Sunday, July 18.
Rear Admiral Adeluis Bordado, PN Flag Officer in Command, said the repair of the sealift amphibious force vessel is a "regular" procedure to ensure that it is on its best condition while performing its missions at sea.
"Oo for repair na siya. Every after five years nagda-drydock kami so regular talaga iyan. Mandatory ang drydocking (Yes, its due for repair. Every after five years, we conduct drydocking so it is a regular . Drydocking is mandatory)," Bordado said.
During a drydocking procedure, a ship is brought to a dry land and maintenance personnel inspect the submerged portions of the hull for cleaning and repairs.
In a notice posted on the Navy's website last June 3, the PN Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invited interested parties to bid for the project "Drydocking Services, Machinery, and Other Related Repairs" of the BRP Dagupan City. The project costs P124,564,270.
Bordado said he has yet to confirm if the Navy BAC has already chosen a contractor that will perform the repairs on the BRP Dagupan City.
However, he assured that the Navy has an alloted budget for the repair of the ship which will come from their annual budget under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) this year.
Commissioned into service in 1994, BRP Dagupan City is considered as one of the most reliable logistic support vessels of the Navy.
It is the sister ship of BRP Bacolod City (LS-550) and both of them were based on a helicopter-capable variant of the United States Army's General Frank Besson Jr.-class logistics support vessel.
The Navy deployed BRP Dagupan City and six other ships in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) for sovereignty patrols in April of this year amid the incursion of more than 220 Chinese vessels in the country's territory.