AMBASSADOR of France to the Philippines Nicolas Galey attended the commissioning ceremony of the BRP Panglao and the BRP Boracay—two brand-new 24-meter fast patrol boats manufactured by French shipbuilder OCEA—during a ceremony at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) national headquarters on October 15, with Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III as guest of honor and speaker.
OCEA and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed in 2014 a commercial contract worth €97 million (about P5.82 billion) for the PCG’s acquisition of four brand-new fast patrol boats and one 82-meter offshore patrol vessel. This is to enhance the PCG’s capability of performing its functions on maritime security, safety, maritime search and rescue, marine-environmental protection, as well as offshore patrol of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The agreement was financed through an export-credit loan structured by the French banks BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole, with a guarantee from the French state.
Three of the four French-built fast patrol vessels will be operated for the conduct of joint operations between the PCG and the Bureau of Customs in protecting the country’s borders and suppressing smuggling activities.
Under the contract, OCEA provides for the training of the crewmembers, a five-year maintenance period, and the supply of spare parts.
The two remaining fast patrol boats are expected for delivery before the end of the year, while the 82-meter offshore patrol vessel will be with the PCG in August 2019.
According to its embassy, France fully supports the Philippines’s maritime capabilities modernization program through future transactions between OCEA and the Philippine government. The original contract signed by the DOTr provides an option for the acquisition of a second 82-meter armed offshore patrol vessel.
“We welcome the conclusion of this agreement between the Philippine government and OCEA—one of the global leaders in the shipbuilding industry, to acquire these vessels with the aim of developing the maritime capabilities of the PCG and protecting the country’s borders,” Galey said following the ceremony.
“France has much to offer the Philippines in terms of maritime, military and defense equipment, as well as expertise in these fields. We stand ready to present our proposals, according to the priorities of the Philippine government,” the envoy added.