The Philippine Navy will be having its first strategic sealift vessel which will be delivered to the Philippines in the next few days after the PT Pal shipyard in Indonesia launched the Philippine Navy’s largest ship on Sunday. The Philippine delegation led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Navy chief Vice Admiral Caesar Taccad witness the launching.
The Indonesian delegation was led by Ryamizard Ryacudo and PT PAL President Firmanshay Arifin. According to some experts, the term “launching” means a ship is put into the water for the very first time from the dry dock.
The vessel will then undergo a series of tests before it is delivered to the buyer, this time the Philippine government. The first SSV for the Philippine Navy is scheduled to be delivered in May and will be the Philippine Navy’s biggest ship.
During the same event, the keel laying or the formal start of the construction of the second SSV was also held. The Philippine ordered two SSV and the second one will be delivered in 2017 according to the shipping company in charge of building the ship.
The Philippine government ordered two ships from Indonesia during the year 2014, they were worth P3.8 billion and sourced from the AFP modernization program. According to the manufacturer of the SSV, the ship can hold about 500 soldiers and logistics; and at the same time bring supply in areas that may be hit by disasters. It can also house two helicopters.
