BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301)

BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) is an offshore patrol vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard.[2] She is the first offshore patrol vessel and currently, the largest and most modern vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard. Named after Gabriela Silang, a revolutionary leader during the Philippine struggle for independence from Spain. She was constructed by French shipbuilder OCEA S.A. based on the OPV-270 Mk II design, in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France.[3]

BRP Gabriela Silang was formally launched in Les Sables-d'Olonne.
History
Philippines
Name: BRP Gabriela Silang
Namesake: María Josefa Gabriela Cariño de Silang
Ordered: 6 September 2017
Builder: OCEA S.A., Les Sables-d'Olonne, France
Cost: ₱5.6 Billion
Launched: 17 July 2019
Acquired: 18 December 2019
Commissioned: 13 April 2020
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Gabriela Silang-class offshore patrol vessel
Length: 83.6 m (274 ft)
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h) maximum sustained
Range: 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km) at 12 knots[1]
Endurance: 30-45 Days[1]
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 2 × RHIB
Capacity: 500
Complement:
  • Current: 35
  • Maximum: 70 crew & personnel
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Kelvin Hughes SharpEye X and S-band solid state radars
Aircraft carried: 1 × Airbus H145 helicopter
Aviation facilities: Hangar and flight deck for 1 × 10-ton helicopters

Construction and design

The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) was constructed by French shipbuilder OCEA S.A. under the "Philippine Ports and Coast Guard Capability Development" program of the Department of Transportation. She was based on the OPV-270 Mk II design. The deal worth P5.6 billion (€97 million at the time) was signed in September 2014.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the OPV has a length of 83.6 meters, maximum speed of 20 knots, and has a capacity of 64 crew members. She has a hybrid diesel-electric engine, a first for the PCG.[4]

The OPV has a helideck and a hangar that can accommodate the H145T2 helicopter of the PCG. She also has a hyperbaric chamber for those who have diving sickness and a survivor room that can accommodate those who will be rescued.[4]

On July 17, 2019, the OPV was launched at OCEA shipyard in Les Sables d’Olonne. She is the largest ship built at Les Sables d’Olonne as well as being the largest aluminum-hull OPV built in the world.[5] On December 18, the PCG took possession of the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) from OCEA Shipyards at the occasion of a change of flag ceremony in Saint-Nazaire, France.[6] The OPV departed France on December 30 with its 35-strong personnel and crew from the PCG.

Operational history

Maiden cruise

On its way home to the Philippines after it left France on December 30, 2019, the OPV conducted a technical stopover in Malta, where the ship was asked to stand-by for instructions from the Philippine government as it was being considered to be deployed in the Middle East to evacuate Filipino citizens if an escalation of hostilities between the US and Iran happens.[7]

The OPV then transferred to Catania, Sicily in Italy as it was also instructed to be on stand-by since the ongoing civil war in Libya as the country's capital Tripoli has been besieged, forcing Filipino embassy officials and workers to evacuate.

With the situation of Filipinos from Libya became better, the OPV was instructed to come home to the Philippines, passing through the Suez Canal in Egypt and conducting another technical stopover in Colombo, Sri Lanka. On April 6, 2020, the OPV entered Philippine waters for the first time.

The very next day, April 7, 2020, it proceeded to Manila where it was met by ships and aircraft from the Philippine Coast Guard off Manila Bay. Although the media was allowed to record its arrival in Manila, no ceremony was conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Commissioning

Secretary of Transportation Arthur Tugade and PCG Commandant, Adm. Joel Garcia led a private commissioning ceremony aboard the ship docked at Pier 15 in South Harbor. The event made the name BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) official. Restrictions on large gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the traditional ceremony for the new vessel.[2]

During the height of the enhanced community quarantine amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, PCG used the BRP Gabriela Silang to ferry frontline health workers, medical supplies, PPE, and medicines to regional hospitals in the country.

References
  1. "OPV 270". OCEA Shipbuildng. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  2. "LOOK: PH Coast Guard's newest, most modern ship joins fleet in private commissioning rites". INQUIRER.net. April 13, 2020.
  3. "Euronaval: OCEA Confirms The New OPV 270 Performs Beyond Its Contractual Specifications". Naval News. October 23, 2020.
  4. "Coast Guard's most modern ship to patrol West Philippine Sea, Benham Rise". July 18, 2019.
  5. "OCEA Launched Largest Aluminum OPV In The World For Philippine Coast Guard". July 19, 2019.
  6. "Video: Philippine Coast Guard Takes Possession Of "Gabriela Silang" OPV Built By OCEA". December 23, 2019.
  7. "PCG's largest ship detours from France to its first mission: evacuate OFWs in Middle East". January 8, 2020.
  8. "Philippine Coast Guard OPV BRP Gabriela Silang Arrived In Manila". April 8, 2020.
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