Coast Guard’s fourth MRRV from Japan to arrive this month: spokesman

May 13, 2017

The fourth unit of Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from Japan is set to arrive within May. Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, did not reveal the vessel’s date of arrival. He said the vessel, named BRP Capones, will be manned by Coast Guard personnel led by Commander Rejard Marfe. Balilo did not give the specific date for the commissioning of the vessel but said the ceremony is to be led by President Rodrigo Duterte. Like the first three MRRV’s of the Coast Guard, the fourth unit, MRRV-4404, was  named before a lighthouse located at Capones Island in Brgy. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales. The first three MRRV of the Coast Guard were named BRP Malapascua, BRP Malabrigo and BRP Tubbataha. These vessels were built by the Japan Marine United Corp. (JMUC) Yokohama Shipyard as part of the 10 units of 44-meter MRRV’s acquired by the Philippines under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project of the transportation department. This procurement was implemented as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project through a tied loan extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The loan facility for the project covers P 7,373,700,000.00 out of the total project of P 8,807,700,000.00 while the balance of P 1,434,000,000.00 will be sourced from the Philippine counterpart. The delivery of these vessels that have a standard cruising speed of 25 knots, and a range of 1,500 nautical miles will be completed by 2018. Robina Asido/DMS