Officers and personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that will handle the Japan-made 97-meter Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) got their "crash course" in handling the ship after a successful tour of the Patrol Vessel (PV) Kunisaki of the 7th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters of the Japan Coast Guard (JCG).
Led by CG Commander Erwin Tolentino, the Commanding Officer of one of the two 97-meter MRRVs, the PCG team was able to learn and understand the Kunisaki, which has the same specifications of the soon to be delivered vessel here from Japan.
The request of the PCG personnel was approved in coordination with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last Thursday, Jan. 20 in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
“They need that tour they requested, because it’s a similar ship. The important details, the operations, it was like getting familiar with the ship,” PCG spokesperson CG Commodore Armando A. Balilo said Monday, Jan. 24 in a telephone interview with Manila Bulletin.
“Although they will get formal instruction from our Japanese counterparts when the ship arrives here.”
Tolentino, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the officers and personnel of PV Kunisaki amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in order to enhance the capability of PCG in operating a large vessel.
During the tour, the visiting PCG officers and crew were given an opportunity to get a glimpse on how to operate and maintain a large patrol vessel.
Some of the tasks demonstrated by the crew of the JCG patrol vessel include maneuvering of vessel, loading and unloading of Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), and take off and landing of helicopters.
The construction of the two 97-meter MRRVs was contracted out to Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company Limited by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the Maritime Capability Improvement Project, Phase II funded by JICA.
The first and second vessels will be delivered in Manila by February and May this year.
Upon delivery and commissioning, the vessels are expected to contribute to improving the capabilities of the PCG such as maritime safety and security, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and marine environment protection.