USNI News 06/11 via Maritime News: France is set to provide 40 patrol vessels and logistical support to the Philippine Coast Guard following the approval of a $438 million aid project to enhance Manila’s maritime security capabilities across the country’s waters. The French official development assistance-funded acquisition project of 40 Fast Response Crafts, approved during Tuesday’s National Economic and Development Authority Board meeting, will effectively quadruple the Philippine Coast Guard’s fleet.
Coming in at 30-35 meters, the French-built boats will resemble the agency’s existing 44-meter Parola-class multi-role response vessels from Japan. According to the project description, the first 20 Fast Response Crafts will be constructed in France and the other 20 in the Philippines. France will also provide logistical support for the vessels and equipment for six bases. “The project aligns with the government’s objective of enhancing maritime security by upgrading the capabilities of institutions such as the Philippine Coast Guard. The new FPCs will help deter smuggling and illegal activities while ensuring the enforcement of maritime sovereignty in critical marine areas,” National Economic and Development Authority Board Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
Philippine Coast Guard Vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV 8301), U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752), and Philippine Coast Guard Vessel BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) on 3rd June 2024 – US Coast Guard Photo
OCEA Shipbuilding and Industries is expected to win the acquisition project due to its relationship with the Philippine Coast Guard and pledges to invest in the country’s shipbuilding industries. The company previously delivered BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8311), the world’s largest aluminum-hulled offshore patrol vessel, to the Philippine Coast Guard in 2019 under a similar assistance program. In 2022, OCEA reiterated its commitment to establish a shipyard and subsidiary in the Philippines that will be able to construct 15 to 120-meter-long patrol vessels. With a fleet of 13 ocean-going patrol vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard has been stretched thin attempting to cover the 7,641 islands that compose the country’s archipelago and beyond. The West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the section of the South China Sea that encompasses its exclusive economic zone, has been draining the agency’s resources through encounters with Chinese maritime forces. These incidents, which revolved around contested maritime features claimed by both countries, have eroded the Philippines’ smaller fleet.
Paris’ official development assistance project of 40 patrol vessels is the latest in a list of commitments by Manila’s new and old partners to bolster the Philippine Coast Guard’s fleet amid these incidents. Japan, which has provided 12 patrol vessels to the agency, is set to deliver five 97-meter-long patrol vessels to the Philippines between 2027 and 2028. Meanwhile, the U.S. examined the transfer of four Coast Guard vessels through excess defense articles last summer. France has emerged as one of Manila’s most important European partners in recent years. The two countries signed a treaty that aimed to deepen their defense and security ties last December and have stepped up their military-to-military exchanges. French naval forces participated in Balikatan for the first time this year, joining U.S. and Philippine warships in the South China Sea. Source: USNI News 06/11