An agreement for six offshore patrol vessels for the Philippine Navy was inked on Monday by outgoing Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and a Korean shipbuilder for P30 billion.
In a statement, the DND revealed that Lorenzana signed the deal with Hyundai Heavy Industries vice chairman Nam Sang-hoon. Present to witness the event were South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Kim In-cheol; Gen. Andres Centino, chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Rear Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia, acting flag-officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy.
“The project aims to further enhance the maritime patrol capabilities of the Philippine Navy, and includes technology transfer, particularly human engineering operators and maintenance training of equipment, operations training, technical publications and manual. In addition to this is a design ownership, granting the Philippine Navy a license to manufacture/build using the OPV’s design for the exclusive use of the Philippine government,” the DND said.
The vessels’ length and width are 94.4 meters and 14.3 meters, respectively. Their displacement is 2,400 tons, and their top speed is 22 knots; their cruise speed is 15 knots, and their range is 5,500 nautical miles.
According to the DND, the Second Horizon of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, which President Rodrigo Duterte authorized in May 2018, gave the OPV project priority. According to the Philippine Navy, this is likewise the result of months of rigorous research by the DND.
