Offshore patrol vessel BRP Gregorio del Pilar (Photo courtesy of Philippine Navy) MANILA - The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that its offshore patrol vessel, BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-19), is now ready to sail and mission capable four years after its grounding off Hasa-Hasa Shoal in August 2018. "PN patrol ship, BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) is now ready to set sail after years of collective efforts to bring back her operational readiness when she experienced a sea mishap way back August 29, 2018, while conducting a maritime patrol on the West Philippine Sea," Navy spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza said in a statement Sunday night. He also added that the ship has undergone several repairs and upgrades to ensure the restoration of its seaworthiness for maritime operations. BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is the lead ship of the Del Pilar-class offshore patrol vessels which also consists of BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) and BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS-17). All three ships are former US
BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15), a Philippine Navy (PN) patrol ship, is expected to sail back to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) four years after encountering a sea mishap that forced her to be sidelined and undergo repairs.
BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15) (Photo by Philippine Navy)
The PN said th
BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) (File photo) MANILA - The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15), one of the largest vessels of the Philippine Navy (PN), has successfully completed two sea trials and is now nearing operational status, more than three years after a grounding incident in 2018. "PN patrol ship under the Offshore Combat Force, BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, has successfully completed two sea trials that included the testing of the ship's main and auxiliary engines, propellers, and other related systems. The sea trials conducted are aimed at assessing the vessel's seaworthiness," Navy spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza said in a message to reporters Tuesday. These sea trials took place earlier this month in Subic Bay, Zambales. "Currently, BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is not yet fully operational pending its endurance test. This is being conducted to test the overall performance of a vessel at maximum continuous rating at a given period usually from six to 24 hours to e