The Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) will be receiving a new batch of patrol boats as part of efforts to improve security along the country’s coastal waters.
A Singapore Police Coast Guard vessel detaining “suspects” during an interdiction exercise in the Singapore Strait. The service will soon receive 24 new vessels under a SGD400 million (USD288 million) procurement that was disclosed in March 2020. (Jane’s/Ridzwan Rahmat)
Speaking in parliament on 2 March, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs (MHA), Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, described the new vessels as “fifth generation PT-class patrol boats” that will replace the service’s current fleet of “third-generation boats”.
These third-generation vessels probably refer to the PCG’s fleet of 18 m patrol craft that were built by Geraldton Boats in Australia, and delivered to the PCG from 1999. These vessels have a top speed of 40 kt, and are armed with manually operated 7.62 mm machine guns.
In response to queries from Jane’s on 4 March, an MHA spokesperson has described the new fifth-generation vessels as having top speeds in excess of 55 kt, and equipped with “advanced surveillance capabilities”. However, the ministry has stopped short of giving further elaboration on these capabilities.
The Singapore government has procured 24 hulls from an undisclosed manufacturer for SGD400 million (USD288 million), and these will be delivered in phases from 2020, according to further information form the ministry.
Twelve of the new vessels will replace the same number of ‘third-generation’ boats, while another 12 will be new additions to the fleet. No further information on these vessels was provided.
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