The Japanese Government will supply the Philippine Coast Guard with five additional 97-metre multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) to complement the two already in service.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated his government's commitment to provide the MRRVs to the Philippines during his recent state visit to Manila earlier this week, Philippine Transport Secretary Vince Dizon told reporters on Wednesday, April 30.
The first of the five new MRRVs is slated to arrive in Philippine waters in 2027.
The 97-metre MRRVs will belong to the Teresa Magbanua-class. The first two vessels, BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino, were handed over to the Philippine Coast Guard in 2022.
The new MRRVs will also be built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding. Their missions will include maritime security patrols, search and rescue, counter-narcotics operations, logistical transport, oil spill response, and environmental protection.
The Teresa Magbanua-class vessels are variants of the Kunigami-class patrol vessels that were originally designed and built by Mitsubishi for the Japan Coast Guard.
Like the Kunigami-class vessels, each Philippine MRRV will have a steel hull and aluminium superstructure with additional ballistic protection for the bridge.