The BRP Tubbataha, one of the 10 multi-role response vessels ordered from Japan, was formally delivered to the Philippine Coast Guard Thursday morning.
PCG Spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo said the handover took place around 9 a.m. at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor.
BRP Tubbataha was delivered by Japan Marine United Corporation sailing personnel with 12 observers from the PCG. It departed the JMUC shipyard in Yokohama, Japan last Aug. 11. Balilo said the commissioning date is tentatively set on Aug. 22.
The BRP Tubbataha and the nine other MRRVs would be classified as “Parola (lighthouse)” class vessels and named after lighthouses. The Tubbataha Reef, a marine reservation area in Palawan, has a lighthouse similarly named.
The MRRV is equipped with special features for search and rescue and law enforcement operations such as fire monitors, night vision camera, radio direction finder and a workboat. It also has a bullet-proof navigational bridge.
The remaining MRRVs will arrive one after another every quarter or until 2018.