One of the most modern naval vessel of the Philippines, the Philippine Navy’s first Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) has arrived at the Manila South Harbor breakwater on Saturday as confirmed by Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna. The country’s first SSV, BRP Tarlac was docked at Pier 13 in Manila Harbor.
The modern Navy vessel has entered the Philippine territory through the Sibutu passage in Tawi-Tawi on Thursday. According to the Philippine Navy’s announcement to the media, the ship and crew members of the vessel will undergo Customs Immigration quarantine, Licuna stated.
The country’s first sealift vessel named BRP Tarlac concluded its sea trials prior to its arrival in Manila. The manufacturer tested the vessel which will be used by the Philippine Navy. The testing phase sought to check the performance of all the vessel’s machineries and equipment.
Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. Lincuna was quoted as saying “It is also conducted to check and measure the ship’s general performance and seaworthiness,” Lincuna said.
The Philippine government under the Aquino administration ordered two SSVs from PT PAL for P3.87 billion which was sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization fund. The Navy initiated the acquisition of the ships upon the approval of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in 2013.
The SSVs will serve as the Navy’s command center by carrying out their main purpose as military sealift and transport vessels, as well as for humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Based upon the details released by Philippine Navy each ship is estimated to weigh around 7,300 gross register tons. The vessels have the capability to transport large numbers of soldiers, logistics and supplies.
