Navy's new strategic sealift vessel undergoes sea trials

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy announced that its new strategic sealift vessel (SSV) will be undergoing sea trials this week.

The Philippines' first SSV, built by Indonesian builder PT PAL, is expected to arrive in the country by the third week of May.

Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna said that the SSV will be scheduled for an endurance run once it completes the sea trials.

The trial phase is done to check the performance of the machineries and equipment of the vessel, Lincuna said in a state news interview.

The Philippines ordered two SSVs from PT PAL for P3.87 billion which was sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization fund.

READ: Navy's strategic sealift vessel to be launched in Indonesia

The Navy initiated the SSV acquisition project upon the approval of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in October 2013.

The SSVs will be the Navy's floating command center which will carry out their main purpose as military sealift and transport vessels. It will also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Each ship is estimated to weigh around 7,300 gross register tons. The vessels have the capability to transport large numbers of soldiers, logistics and supplies.

The vessels also have the capacity to house three helicopters each. The Navy's Augusta Westland-109 helicopters will be on-board the vessels.

This will improve the transport capability of the Navy and strengthen the defense capabilities of the country.

RELATED: PNoy trumpets 2 new naval ships, plans to get 3 more