Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessel

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The future BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701)
Class overview
Name	Teresa Magbanua class patrol ship
Builders	Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Shimonoseki, Japan[1]
Operators	Philippine Coast Guard
Cost	per ship (2020) ¥7.275B or ~₱3.395B or ~$67.9M (if $1 = ₱50)
In commission	from 2022
Planned	2
Building	1
Completed	1
Active	0
General characteristics
Type	patrol ship
Tonnage	2,260 GT[6]
Displacement	likely classified (since their base design kunigami-class wasn't revealed by JCG)
Length	96.6 m (317 ft)[2]
Beam	11.5 m (38 ft)
Draft	4.3 m (14 ft)
Depth	5.2 m (17 ft)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines, with total output of 13,200 kW (17,700 shp)[3] electric propulsion system for low speeds (provisioned)[4]
Speed	more than 24 knots (44 km/h) maximum speed[2]
Range	more than 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at cruising speed[2]
Endurance	more than 15 days
Boats & landing craft carried	2 x RHIB Underwater ROV
Complement	67 officer and enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	Furuno FAR series X & S-band navigation radars NAVICS[5] integrated secure communications & direction-finding system by Rohde & Schwarz
Armament	foredeck cannon (FFBNW)
Aviation facilities	hangar and helicopter deck

The Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessel is class of patrol vessels being built for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The class is based on the Japan Coast Guard's Kunigami-class patrol vessel.^[7]

The ships are named after heroines of the Philippines, with the lead ship, the future BRP Teresa Magbanua being a heroine of the resistance movements against the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupying forces. Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessels are officially classified as Multi-role Response Vessels (MRRV).^[8]

Design and features[]

The original Kunigami-class patrol vessels have no hangar and having a single central funnel/chimney to which 2 RHIBs are placed, 1 each beside it. A 3rd workboat and its associated launch-&-recovery crane are also placed behind them.

Teresa Magbanua-class was modified to having split chimneys (1 each on the edges of both the port & starboard sides) in order to create added space for a centerline hangar, which in turn led to each of the 2 RHIBs being relocated beside that hangar. Thus the space occupied by the 3rd workboat and its associated launch-&-recovery crane from Kunigami-class design ended up being removed in the process.

The successor of Kunigami-class' first two ships (1st batch order), the 6 Iwami-class patrol vessels, their split chimneys are placed near the edges of the ship's midsides, thus preserving those open side spaces as is the Kunigami-class. Probably that approach wasn't enough to fit a centerline hangar able to fit a certain helicopter/s specified by the PhCG, so that might explain the Magbanua-class' funnels ended up being placed on both the side edges.

The Kunigami-class' foredeck in front of the bridge is occupied by a 20mm gatling-type 6-barreled cannon (on earlier ships) or a 30mm single-barreled rapid-fire cannon (on later ships). Magbanua-class also has that same structure but no cannon since Japanese law is reportedly prohibited to export such weapons. Thus PhCG will just have to acquire it separately.

The class is designed with an optional low-speed drive electric propulsion system for fuel-economy. This feature is crucial as a proactive measure against the expected petroleum price hike fluctuations as time pass, or worse a continued price increases. Also, since fuel economy equals reduced petroleum use, thus Philippines also having additional contribution to the COP21 Paris Agreement, in addition to their earlier inducted all-aluminium Gabriela Silang-class patrol ship. To begin, one of the jobs of the Coast Guard is environmental protection.

The class employs underwater ROVs for subsea surveillance. Aside from underwater search and rescue missions, they will also come in handy for intercepting shallow-water submersibles carrying drugs or other smuggled items. This include vessels having their freeboards & superstructures so low that the usual marine radars, optical sensors, IR sensors, night vision cameras, and other surface-search-oriented sensors will have a hard time detecting them. In general, such ROVs will serve as force-multipliers (supporting the navy) in expanding the Philippines' overall domain awareness of their underseas to whatever subsea target detectable, including unintended ones. Even during the ROVs operating on the shallow parts of the underseas, it is also the area where submarines go during snorkeling mode or when they decide to deploy their periscope for whatever reason, and so might be detected, even though the coastguard wasn't actually trying to find them, thus one instance of an unintended catch (consequential expansion of awareness) during a mere routine coastguard ROUV operations.

The Philippine Coast Guard clarified that the ships are designed for law enforcement duties, to conduct environmental and humanitarian missions, as well as maritime security operations and patrol missions.^[9]

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the MRRV has a length of 96.6 meters, a maximum speed of not less than 24 knots, and has a complement of 67 crew members. She has a two 6600 kW (6.6MW) diesel engines.^[10][1]

The MRRV's helideck and hangar can accommodate the PhCG's Airbus H145 helicopter (Eurocopter EC145-T2). She also has a hyperbaric chamber for those who have diving sickness and a survivor room that can accommodate those who will be rescued. In addition, they will be equipped with a maritime integrated communications system known as NAVICS, which will be provided by Rohde & Schwarz in collaboration with NTT.^[5]

Project planning and funding[]

The ships are acquired under the 94-meter Multi-Role Response Vessels Acquisition Project of the Philippine Coast Guard, which in turn is part of the "Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project Phase II of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).^[11] The project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan, with JICA will provide JPY16,455,000,000.00,^[9] while the Philippine government will shoulder Php 1,218,000,000.00 of the entire project value.

Japanese shipbuilders were shortlisted by the DOTr, among them Japan Marine United Co., Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding.^[12]

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding won the tender against other Japanese shipbuilders with a bid price of Y14,550,000,000.^[13]

Under the project terms, the MRRVs will be used by the PCG for the following purposes:

• Primary rescue vessels within the PCG Districts’ areas of responsibility (AOR) when the extent of the disaster is beyond the capability of floating assets deployed within the area
• Assistance in the control of oil pollution and protection of the marine environment
• Enforcement of applicable maritime laws within the designated AOR, particularly relating to illegal fishing and sea patrol
• Service as platform for rapid response during relief operations in the area
• Transport of personnel and logistical support.

Construction and launching[]

The first of its class, the Teresa Magbanua (9701), held its first steel cutting ceremony on 18 December 2020. The ship was launched on 26 July 2021.^[14]

The Teresa Magbanua is scheduled to undergo sea trials by late 2021, and sail for Manila by March 2022.^[8]

Construction on the second ship of the class began in 2021, and is expected to sail for Manila by May 2022.^[8] It has been conducting sea trials in February 2022.^[15]

Ships in class[]

References[]