(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte is set to lead the formal commissioning of the Philippine Coast Guard’s new capital ship, the BRP Melchora Aquino, on Sunday, June 12, the PCG said.
The formal commissioning of the 97-meter multi-role response vessel acquired by the Department of Transportation and the PCG under the DOTr’s Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project coincides with the country’s commemoration of Independence Day.
According to the PCG, the BRP Melchora Aquino, which arrived in the Port of Manila on May 27, is the PCG’s second multi-role response vessel, with BRP Teresa Magbanua as the first.
The PCG said BRP Melchora Aquino was modeled after the Japan Coast Guard’s Kunigami class vessel, with a maximum speed of not less than 24 knots and an endurance of not less than 4000 nautical miles.
“With the commissioning…, the PCG is now more capable of conducting patrols in the country’s maritime jurisdictions, including the West Philippine Sea and Philippine Rise,” the PCG said.
