Canadian Navy’sHMCS Ottawa sail together at the West Philippine Sea on Sept. 21. —PHOTO FROMAFP WESCOM
More nations are sailing with the country as the Philippine Navy’s (PN) guided-missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151) completed a bilateral sail in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Thursday with the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341).
The two ships met and established radio communications in the vicinity of Malampaya natural gas platform and performed maneuvers for officers of the watch, according to a statement issued on Friday by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The joint sail lasted for an hour and a half from 7:23 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Located 50 kilometers northwest of Palawan province mainland, Malampaya is the only domestic commercial source of natural gas, accounting for 20 percent of the country’s total power requirement. It is next to the oil- and resource-rich Recto (Reed) Bank.
“The joint sail is part of the Philippine Navy’s regular engagements with its partners in the Philippines’ maritime zones. Bravo Zulu to all the personnel of both ships and those who planned this activity,” said Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, public affairs office chief of the AFP.
On Sept. 4, the PN’s lead frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150) and US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) sailed off the waters off Palawan for a division tactics mission.
According to the AFP, both events signified the shared commitment of the Philippines, United States and Canada in “promoting a rules-based international order in the West Philippine Sea and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.” INQ