‘Tubbataha’ is PCG’s newest ship

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard’s first ship from Japan has been named “Tubbataha,” a PCG official announced yesterday.

The 44-meter multi-role response vessel (MRRV) is expected to arrive in the country in September, PCG commandant Rear Admiral William Melad said.

The MRRV Tubbataha was launched at the shipyard of the Japan Marine United Corp. in Yokohama on May 12.

Melad and other Philippine officials including Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez and Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, attended the launching.

Vice Admiral Hideyo Hanazumi of the Japanese Coast Guard was also present at the event.

The PCG reported last year that 10 new vessels from Japan would be delivered to the agency starting this year until 2018.

Some of these ships will be assigned to the West Philippine Sea to augment those being used for search and rescue operations.

“We decided to name the new ship Tubbataha because based on our agreement, all PCG vessels arriving from Japan would be named after the country’s lighthouses,” Melad said.

The lighthouse of Tubbataha Reefs National Park, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1993, is located in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Melad said the MRRVs would be deployed to PCG districts to respond to disasters, help enforce maritime laws to protect the country’s marine environment and transport personnel and logistical support.