Monday, June 8, 2015

Steel-cutting for 2nd SSV now a done deal

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 8): Steel-cutting for 2nd SSV now a done deal

Steel-cutting for the Philippine Navy (PN)'s second strategic sealift vessel (SSV) formally took place last June 6 at PT PAL (Persero)'s Surabaya shipyard.

This was announced by the Indonesian shipbuilder over weekend.

The second SSV is scheduled for delivery this coming May 2017.

Earlier, PN public affairs office office chief Cmdr. Lued Lincuna said that the keel of the first SSV is now being constructed.

He added that work on the first SSV has been proceeding smoothly since steel cutting started last Jan.22.

"(With the fast pace on construction), We are hopeful that the May 2016 delivery of the first SSV will be met," Lincuna said.

The Philippines has a two-SSV order with Persero for Php3,870,000,000 which is sourced from the AFP Modernization Fund.

The keel is a beam around which the hull of a ship is built.

It runs in the middle of the ship, from the bow to the stern, and serves as a basic foundation or spine of the structure, providing the major source of structural strength of the hull.

The strategic sealift acquisition project for the PN was initiated upon the approval of Acquisition Decision Memorandum Number 2012-060 by the Secretary of National Defense last Oct. 30, 2013.

The SSVs are programmed to be the PN’s floating command center carrying out their main purpose as military sealift and transport vessels and also for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

These vessels are critical assets for civil-military operations due to their capability of transporting large number of soldiers, logistics, and supplies.

Moreover, each SSV has the capacity to house three helicopters. The Navy’s Augusta Westland-109s are programmed to be on-board components of these vessels.

These forthcoming landing platform dock strategic sealift vessels will improve the transport capability of the PN and boost the defense capabilities of the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=770099

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.