AFP, MANILA
The Philippines yesterday said its coast guard would acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France, with plans to deploy some of them in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
The deal is the “largest so far single purchase” in Manila’s ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, with deliveries set to start in four years, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told a news conference.
He declined to provide specifications for the vessels, which Manila said would cost 25.8 billion pesos (US$440 million), to be funded by development aid from the French government.
A China Coast Guard ship, right, shadows Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Enga during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal) in the South China Sea on Aug. 26.
Photo: AFP
He said some of the vessels would be deployed in the South China Sea, where Filipino maritime forces have figured in violent confrontations this year with the China Coast Guard — part of a festering territorial dispute over waters and land features.
China claims most of the sea including waters close to the shores of the Philippines and several other neighbors, ignoring an international tribunal ruling that its claims are without legal basis.
“It is a game changer for us,” Gavan said, describing the vessels as “fast enough to reach the edges of our exclusive economic zone” for law enforcement and other missions.
“This will form part of the force mix that we need to address the threats in the area,” he added.
Under the deal, 20 of the 40 vessels would be built in the Philippines through a technology transfer that Gavan said would provide a boost to Manila’s shipbuilding industry.
“The new [fast patrol craft] will help deter smuggling and illegal activities while ensuring the enforcement of maritime sovereignty in critical marine areas,” Philippine Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.
The Philippine Coast Guard has a small fleet of modern vessels, including two 97m patrol ships and ten 44m patrol ships, all built by Japan.
The Japanese government is financing the construction of five additional 97m patrol vessels worth ￥64.4 million (US$418 million) that would be delivered in 2027.
