Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has conducted sea trials for the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG's) first 97 m multirole response vessel (MRRV).
The vessel conducted the trials in waters near Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works between 25 and 28 January, the PCG announced on its official social media channel on 2 February.
The trials were conducted to validate the vessel's speed, manoeuvrability, functionality of equipment, and safety features. Also present during the trials were the vessel's pioneering crew, and representatives from Japan Marine Science Incorporated, and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK) Classification Society, the service added.
The vessel, which has been given pennant number 9701, was launched by Mitsubishi in July 2021. It is one of two MRRVs ordered by the Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) under a JPY14.6 billion (USD132 million) contract signed in 2019.
In a March 2020 media release that announced the conclusion of a supplementary agreement to construct the vessels, Mitsubishi described the MRRV as having an overall length of 94 m.
Mitsubishi has since issued a separate media release in July 2021, which lists the MRRV's overall length as 96.6 m. The vessel has an overall beam of 11.5 m, a depth of 5.2 m, and it displaces about 2,260 tonnes.
The vessel can accommodate a crew complement of 67 including bunks for 17 officers and attain a maximum speed of 24 kt. It has been built with a flight deck and a hangar for helicopter operations, and it can also deploy an underwater remotely operated vehicle for subsurface search and survey operations.
The MRRV is expected to arrive in the Philippines by Februay end. It will be known in service as BRP Teresa Magbanua once commissioned.
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