THE BRP Tarlac, the Philippine Navy’s newest and largest warship, figured in a mishap off Naval Station Romulo Espaldon in Zamboanga City on Monday but remains operational despite minor dents and scratches.
“LD-601 [BRP Tarlac] is involved in the ongoing operations against the Abu Sayyaf [where] she serves as command-and-control for Fleet-Marine component. She incurred minor dents on her starboard [right] side because of the incident and it will not affect her role in said operations,” Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna.
Since the damage is only minor, Lincuna said repair will take place during BRP Tarlac’s scheduled “deploy, sustain, repair and training” cycle and the ship can continue to perform its designated operational tasks with no trouble at all.
“Investigation by the Philippine Coast Guard Station is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the collision,” Lincuna said.
Rear Adm. Jorge Amba, Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander, disclosed the incident occurred around 7:47 p.m. Monday, 1000 yards south of the Ensign Majini Pier off Naval Station Espaldon.
Amba said BRP-Tarlac was anchored in the area when the foreign tanker ship, M/T Tosca, a Liberian-flagged tanker crewed by 21 Filipinos and Ukrainians and skippered by Capt. Dominador Tanguas, hit the warship while enroute to Bintulo, Malaysia.
“Investigation by the Philippine Coast Guard Station is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the collision,” Lincuna said.
BRP Tarlac was commissioned only last June 1 and after arriving in the Philippines last May 14 after a five-day journey from PT PAL (Persero)’s shipyard in Surabaya which started on May 9. The Philippines has two another vessel order with the Indonesian shipbuilder worth P3.8 billion.
BRP Tarlac was assigned to the Philippine Fleet’s Sealift Amphibious Force.
The ship has an overall length of 120 meters, breadth of 21 meters, draft of five meters and carry a payload of 2,800 tons.
She has a cruising speed of 13 knots and maximum speed of 16 knots and a minimum operating range of 7,500 nautical miles.
Her sister-ship is expected to be delivered by May 2017. The ship has a complement of 121 officers and enlisted personnel.
She can carry 500 troops, two rigid-hull inflatable boats, two landing craft units and three helicopters.