Second-hand warship donated by South Korea arrives in Philippines

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-19 20:52:37|Editor: Xiaoxia
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MANILA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A second-hand warship donated to the Philippine Navy (PN) by South Korea has arrived in the Philippines.

Philippine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Giovanni Bacordo said on Monday that the BRP Conrado Yap (Patrol Ship 39) docked at the Manila South Harbor early on Sunday.

South Korea formally handed over to the Philippines the Pohang-class corvette to the Philippine Navy on Aug. 5 in Changwon City, South Korea.

Renamed BRP Conrado Yap (Patrol Ship 39), the ship was the former South Korean Pohang-class corvette Chungju, which served in the South Korean Navy from 1987 to 2016.

Bacordo said the ship is "the most powerful surface combat" ship of the PN today, adding the newly-acquired ship is equipped with "anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare capabilities."

"It will boost our anti-submarine warfare capability, that is the implications of having it and then of course we have strengthened firepower for anti-surface warfare and for air warfare, strengthen capabilities," Bacordo said.

The ship measures 88.3 meters long, with a beam of 10 meters and a draft of 2.9 meters while its displacement is at 1,216 tons full load, according to the PN. BRP Conrado Yap is rated for a crew of 118 personnel and can sustain operational presence for 20 days, it added.

The PN said on Aug. 5 that the acquisition of the ship "will beef up the navy's frontline defense in safeguarding our maritime nation and territorial limits, and greatly enhance our fleet's anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities."

The BRP Conrado Yap will be used for ASW training in preparation for transition to the future corvette vessels the PN plans to purchase under a 535-million-U.S. dollar acquisition plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the acquisition of warships and other naval assets as part of the AFP plan to modernize and strengthen its military capability.

Aside from corvettes, the Philippines also plans to buy eight fast attack interdiction craft missile. Other projects in the pipeline, include the upgrading of the navy's two patrol vessels, acquisition of two submarines, and shore-based missile systems.

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