A Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel suffered an onboard fire while berthed in Palawan province in the western Philippines on Monday, March 23.
The incident on the Parola-class multi-role response vessel (MRRV) BRP Cape Engaño occurred in the early morning (local time) of Monday while she was berthed at Coast Guard District Palawan headquarters in Puerto Princesa City.
A coast guard disaster response team and some local firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes to render assistance. Local newspaper Manila Bulletin reported that the blaze was extinguished by 06:00 and that there were no casualties among the MRRV's crew or the first responders.
The coast guard has launched an investigation to identify the probable cause of the fire, which reportedly ignited as a result of an electrical short in the vessel's laundry room.
Officials have not yet disclosed the impact that the incident would have on the vessel's operations.
Cape Engaño is the final one of 10 Parola-class 44-metre MRRVs that the coast guard acquired from Japan Marine United between 2016 and 2018. Their missions have included anti-terrorism and anti-piracy patrols, search and rescue, and disaster relief.
