Indonesian-made ship is newest addition to Philippine navy

by Akhyari Hananto

Published May 11, 2017 - 01:16 Jkt

The Philippine Navy's second brand new landing dock vessel, the BRP Davao Del Sur, arrived at the South Harbor on Monday, May 8. It's an Indonesian-made amphibious landing dock, as part ofcthe military's modernization program.

The new ship named BRP Davao del Sur arrived at Manila's South Harbor to a ceremony led by Rear Adm. Gaudencio Collado Jr., commander of the Philippine Fleet.

The delivery completes a 3.8 billion peso ($76 million) procurement of two such vessels from Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, a state-owned company based in Surabaya.

The ship sailed from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, with 120 Filipino sailors and a 10-man Indonesian delivery crew.

The BRP Tarlac, the first of the two Indonesian-made ships, arrived in the country last year. It has already taken part in missions including a naval blockade against militants, seajackings and kidnappings in southern Philippine waters.

Both ships serve as command-and-control vessels during humanitarian operations as well as for military sealift and transport, Lincuna said.

It is a much awaited asset of the Philippine Navy. The SSV has ability to serve as one-stop operations center at sea, crucial in sending quick deployments such as in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Measuring 123 meters long and with a maximum carrying capacity of 11,583 tons, the SSVs can transport heavy equipment, supplies, and troops to anywhere in the archipelago. It has provisions for 121 crew members and can house up to 500 soldiers. It can also carry up to 3 naval helicopters on its heli-deck and two "baby boats" in its rear hold. No other load-bearing ship in the Navy's fleet can compare.

Source and reference :

Associated Press

Reuters

Rappler