Navy sets P4-b ship purchase

From the Manila Standard Today (Jul 5): Navy sets P4-b ship purchase

Four groups took part in Tuesday’s conference for the bidding of service support vessels (SSRVs), a P4-billion project of the Philippine Navy.

The prebidding held at the Department of National Defense saw groups such as Navanta of Spain, Daewoo of South Korea, Larsen and Toubro of India, and Austal of Australia each appearing keen to win the supply contracts.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo confirmed the pre-bidding procedure.

The procurement of  two SSVs with a budget of P4 billion and two Maestrale frigates with a budget of P18 billion are among the 24 big-ticket items that President Benigno Aquino III wants to accomplish  under  the five-year military modernization program.

SSVs are multi-role vessels for search and rescue operations that can also be fitted with hospital facilities and a helipad. But the ship’s primary role is to transport a battalion of soldiers with armored vehicles.

On Wednesday,  Manalo mentioned about the  planned procurement of two brand new Maestrale frigates, and told defense reporters that they are now looking for a consultant to help the Navy identify technical specifications for the vessels.

“The Navy needs to hire a consultant because the frigates that we want to buy are too sophisticated, that’s part of diligence,” he said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/07/05/navy-sets-p4-b-ship-purchase/