MANILA — The steel-cutting for the Philippine Navy (PN)’s second missile-armed frigate took place at Pohang City, South Korea on Monday.
In a statement Wednesday, PN said this was held at the Shin Hwa Tech facility, a sub-contractor of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the shipyard builder that won the PHP18-billion contract for the two ships.
Steel-cutting is considered the official start of construction (building) process.
Commander Jonathan Zata, PN spokesperson, said this was confirmed to them by Capt. Sergio Bartolome, the Navy representative supervising the frigate construction project in South Korea.
Present during the steel-cutting were the HHI project manager and staff, ranking PN officials, executives of Shin Hwa Tech, and Lloyds Shipping Register.
The project number for the second frigate is P160. Meanwhile, the keel-laying for the first frigate with project number P159 will be on Oct. 16 at Dock Number 6 of HHI Special and Naval Shipbuilding Division, Ulsan, South Korea.
Steel-cutting for the first frigate took place last April.
Zata said the projected delivery date of the PN first missile-armed frigate is by 2020 with the second frigate in 2021.
The PN Frigate Project is part of the ongoing modernization program that seeks to provide a credible defense capability for the PN and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
