Vietnam Coast Guard ship arriving today for 4-day visit

A VESSEL of the Vietnam Coast Guard is due to arrive today in Manila for a four-day visit which will be capped by an at-sea exercise in Manila Bay, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

A delegation from the visiting vessel, CSB 8002, will pay a courtesy call on PCG commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan after the ship’s arrival at the Port Area this morning.

The delegation will be led by Col. Hoang Quoc Dat, vice commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) Region 2, said PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armando Balilo.

“After the low-key arrival ceremony… (Philippine) Coast Guard officers and personnel will board CSB 8002 for a vessel tour,” Balilo said.

“It will be followed by VCG’s courtesy call to the PCG Commandant at the national headquarters and a fellowship sports activity at the PCG Gymnasium,” he added.

Balilo said the two sides will then hold a planning conference on the conduct of trainings.

He said the Vietnamese also will visit the National Coast Guard Center and the Marine Science Investigation Force laboratory and tour the PCG’s 83-meter offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang.

“Concluding the port call will be the conduct of SAR (search and rescue), fire and explosion prevention training, and passing exercise in the vicinity waters of Manila Bay,” said Balilo.

“CSB 8002 will depart the Philippine waters after a comprehensive debriefing and evaluation of the joint PCG-VCG initiative,” he added.

The Philippines and Vietnam are among the six claimants to the South China Sea. But the two countries have maintained friendly relations and their troops have been conducting friendly sports games over the past years, hosting each other at their occupied features in the South China Sea.