Philippines to build shipyards to support new navy vessels

The Government of the Philippines has begun investing in the construction of new shipyards and associated facilities for the maintenance and support of the some of the Philippine Navy's newest vessels, the country's defence secretary confirmed recently.

Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the new facilities will be used primarily to service ten newbuild ships that the navy will receive from overseas manufacturers within the next three years.

The ten ships to be delivered to the Philippines include two guided-missile corvettes and six offshore patrol vessels to be built by South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and two landing docks being manufactured by PAL Indonesia.

Teodoro said that the new facilities will support these ten vessels as well as any vessels that the navy will order in the future.

The construction initiative falls within the scope of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act, which seeks to develop the Philippines' capability to independently manufacture defence equipment.