Japan will finance the construction of ships for the Philippine Coast Guard

The governments of Japan and the Philippines finalized the formation of the largest maritime security project in the world, under which the Philippine Coast Guard will receive Japanese ships.

Naval News reported on this.

According to the project, the Japanese government will order five large patrol ships from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, which will enhance the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard.

The new ships will be built on the already developed base of Kunigami-class patrol ships, which are used and built for the Japan Coast Guard.

Mitsubishi-built BRP Melchora Aquino patrol vessel for the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo from the network

Funded by an Official Development Aid loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency, the $507 million deal is the largest to date by Tokyo to the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement agency.

Of the $507 million budget, around $425 million will be dedicated to constructing five 97-meter-long multi-mission response vessels.

The Philippine Coast Guard officially classifies them as multi-mission response vessels (MRRV).

It should be noted that in addition to the ships themselves, the Coast Guard will receive a five-year integrated logistics support package from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

The Philippine Coast Guard is already using patrol vessels built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, namely BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino.

Both ships were built on the basis of Kunigami-class patrol ships, which are also used by the Japan Coast Guard.

Also, from 2016 to 2018, the Philippines received 10 small patrol boats from Japan, manufactured by Japan Marine United.

Militarnyi previously reported that during a Japanese-Indonesian meeting in Tokyo, both countries had agreed to build a large patrol ship for the Indonesian Coast Guard.