By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Philippine Navy (PN) will be christening and commissioning two brand-new ships, an offshore patrol vessel and a fast attack interdiction craft (FAIC), at Naval Operating Base-Subic in Zambales on Feb. 24.
In an advisory Sunday, the PN said these ships are the recently delivered offshore patrol vessel (OPV) BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20) and the FAIC, BRP Audrey Bañares (PG-910).
The BRP Rajah Sulayman is the first out of the six OPVs contracted from South Korean shipbuilder, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), while the BRP Audrey Bañares is the last ship out of the nine acquired from Israeli Shipyards Limited.
Christening and commissioning ceremonies will be held at Quay 7 of Naval Operating Base-Subic.
BRP Rajah Sulayman was launched at the HD HHI shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea on June 11, 2025 and arrived in the Philippines on Jan. 17 of this year.
The BRP Rajah Sulayman is the first of the six OPVs ordered from shipbuilder HD HHI, worth around PHP30 billion in 2022.
The ship and its sister vessels are expected to conduct missions aimed at protecting the country’s vast waters.
The contract for the nine FAICs, also known as the Acero-class gunboats, worth PHP10 billion, was issued in February 2021.
These ships are expected to replace PN’s medium-sized patrol craft and help protect Philippine littoral waters. (PNA)
