Coast Guard Needs 30 More Ships
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast
Guard needs at least 30 more ships and patrol craft to help secure the
country’s maritime boundaries, a PCG official said Saturday.
Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, PCG fleet commander, said the
Coast Guard needed additional vessels since its existing 15 ships were not
enough to patrol the seas covered by the 54 PCG stations or outposts across the
country.
“We really need more ships and patrol craft. That’s our No.
1 priority,” Isonera said in an interview. “Each station should have a ship so
that if something happens in its area of jurisdiction, our unit can properly
respond.”
Isonera said the Coast Guard actually needed 60 ships but
could settle with half that number due to the high cost of acquiring new
vessels.
At present, the PCG’s main work horses are the four 56-meter
Tenix (San Juan
class) search-and-rescue vessels which were acquired in the early 2000′s.
The four are considered
the PCG’s most modern vessels as they are equipped with decompression
chambers and helipads. However, two of
these ships are currently under repair.
“If you are a passenger and your ship is about to sail,
you’d feel safe seeing that there’s a Coast Guard ship ready to respond,”
Isonera said.
(Inquirer)
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