Taiwan donates patrol vessel to the Philippines, sources say

A decommissioned 500-tonne Kinmen-class patrol vessel recently donated by Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been delivered to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), a source said yesterday.

The source said the vessel transferred to the PCG at a ceremony organized by the Philippine Non-government WPS Foundation on Monday was donated by the CGA.

The CGA confirmed the donation on Wednesday last week following a United Daily News (UDN) report of a Philippine law enforcement vessel registered as "BLINGNO.1" setting sail for sea trials from Kaohsiung Port that day, citing tracking data from VesselFinder.

The decommissioned 500-tonne patrol vessel Kinmen (CG-123) is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Screen grab from the Coast Guard Administration’s Web site

While UDN visually identified the vessel as the retired 500-tonne Lienchiang (CG-125), the CGA withheld ship specifications and did not name the recipient at the time.

The WPS Foundation issued a statement on Monday regarding the handover ceremony, but omitted any mention of the ship’s origin.

"With the completion of the necessary legal, administrative, and technical requirements, the vessel is now under the custody of the PCG for civilian maritime purposes," it said.

Jeffrey Ordaniel, president and CEO of the WPS Foundation, was quoted as saying that the donation aimed to save lives, protect the nation’s seas, and build PCG capacity to serve Filipino fishermen, mariners and coastal communities.

Philippine defense and security platform MaxDefense reported yesterday that the ship appeared to have been acquired by the WPS Foundation before being handed over to the PCG to avoid potential diplomatic and legal friction.