French shipbuilder OCEA is expected to start delivering the first batch of fast patrol boats this year to the Philippine Coast Guard, part of a 40-vessel order, according to PCG commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan.
“If all goes as planned, the initial delivery will begin in the latter part of this year. We are not yet in the final stage,” he told journalists in a recent briefing.
The Philippines’ Department of Transportation and the French company signed a contract in May 2025 for 40 units of 35-meter high-speed multi-role vessels worth $438 million (P25.8 billion) in a bid to enhance the PCG’s maritime presence across the archipelago. Twenty of the boats will be constructed locally, while the rest will be built in France.
Part of the contract includes a nine-year Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) plan to ensure sustained operational readiness and long-term asset maintenance. The French company also built the PCG’s 83-meter BRP Gabriela Silang, recognized as one of the world’s largest aluminum-hulled vessels.
Gavan said the PCG is also expecting five ships from Japan, referring to five 97-meter multi-role response vessels scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2028.
“All in all we will be adding 50 ships to the fleet of the Coast Guard in the next five years,” he said.
Last week, the PCG announced that it would soon receive three Beechcraft King Air aircraft from the United States. Manila and the Pentagon signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the planes last Feb. 16.
Gavan said the agency has also recently created unmanned systems units for its aviation and surface fleet, but declined to give details.
The PCG is undergoing rapid modernization of its fleet and capabilities to bolster its presence in the West Philippine Sea — Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea — and strengthen its ability to defend the country’s maritime domains.
