Daisuke Takahashi, senior collaborator (center) and Chief of Coast Guard 2nd Class (right) explaining the inspection of the engine department of a 97-meter-class patrol vessel provided by Japan (photographed by Tomoaki Takeshita on the 6th)On the 6th, a workshop (WS) on engine maintenance of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boat was started in Nanko, Manila, the metropolitan area, with officials of the Japan Coast Guard. The workshop was held on the BRP Teresa Magvanua = 97m =, the largest PCG-owned ship that Japan provided through yen loans last year. It will run until the 9th. This is the first time that the Japan Coast Guard has dispatched personnel to cooperate with the maintenance of the patrol vessel’s machinery overseas.
The Japan Coast Guard dispatched Daisuke Takahashi, senior dispatch collaborator of the mobile corporation team, which is dedicated to improving the capabilities of foreign coast guard agencies. Hiroaki Onodera, 3rd Coast Guard Superintendent, who has been dispatched from the Japan Coast Guard to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a long-term expert and is working on a patrol vessel operation and maintenance plan project for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), will also participate. From the PCG, about 20 PCG staff members, including Irwin Tolentino, 3rd Class Coast Guard Officer (Lieutenant Colonel), who was on the last day of his term as captain, and 2nd Class Coast Guard Chief (Lieutenant), who belongs to the ship’s engine department, Charlie Pasiwat. After participating in the patrol boat and reporting and exchanging opinions on the maintenance status of the ship, the inside of the ship was inspected mainly by the engine department.
▽Strengths of Japan
All major patrol vessels currently owned by PCG, which are responsible for maritime law enforcement and salvage operations on the high seas, are foreign-made. In addition to two 97m-class ships provided by Japan, four 56m-class ships and four 35m-class ships provided by Australia in the early 2000s, one 83m-class ship provided by France in 2017, and Japan There are about 20 ships, including 10 44-meter class ships provided over the course of the year.
In response to a question from the Manira newspaper about how many of these ships are operational, Chief Engineer Pasiwat said, “At present, one or two 56-meter-class ships provided by Australia are in operation. There are about 10 patrol ships. is out of order and is awaiting repair.”
Tolentino also told reporters that the PCG has formally requested Japan to provide five more 97-meter class patrol boats. In addition to the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), we will deploy large patrol vessels not only in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), but also in the southern waters bordering Malaysia and Indonesia, and the northern waters bordering Taiwan, to maintain the Philippines’ maritime presence. Because there is a need,” he said.
According to officials, even if developed countries donate ships to developing countries, there are many cases where broken down ships become “port figurines” because the recipient country lacks the know-how to maintain and operate them. It says.
Mr. Onodera said, “The number of patrol boats in the Philippines is already small. “Impossible. We are working with the determination that we will never let the ships provided by Japan be in a situation where ‘there are ships but they cannot be used.'” Takahashi explained, “There are countries around the world that provide patrol boats, but Japan is the only one that provides long-term support, including maintenance. This is Japan’s strength.”
▽ Identifying issues
In the morning session of the workshop, Mr. Pasiwat, who is in charge of maintenance for PRB Teresa Magvanua, explained the maintenance status of each ship’s engine and equipment. An engineer from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, which built the patrol vessel, said, “I was able to receive training for about two months before and after delivery, but I received sufficient training for major maintenance work once every six months and once a year. There are many things that I don’t know how to do.
Mr. Takahashi advised, “There is no need for PCG maintenance department staff to perform all maintenance. There are maintenance that should be done by seafarers and parts that should be done at docks and shipyards. We need to clarify that first.” In the morning session, Mr. Takahashi asked questions such as, “Is equipment replacement timing displayed on the equipment management system (FMS)?”, “Is the engine department managing tanks?” While actively asking questions such as “Have you ever experienced a breakdown until now?” He was surprised when he was told that there was no “dial gauge”, a measuring instrument for maintenance.
In the afternoon session, we actually inspected the engine department and confirmed each device and instrument. After visiting the engine department, Mr. Takahashi told reporters, “Since it’s the latest patrol vessel, there are various instruments, but it seems that they don’t check them much. First, we will identify the things that are not done and give advice. I would like to bring it back to the headquarters and discuss countermeasures.”
Regarding maintenance, I would like to tell PCG staff in particular, “After a breakdown, it often happens that if you didn’t do something here, it wouldn’t have broken down. How can you avoid it in advance? In short, preventive maintenance. “If you don’t know what’s normal, you won’t know what’s wrong. If you wipe the oil that sticks to the engine every day, there’s more oil than usual, and if you’re always looking at the thermometer, the temperature is higher than usual.” It is possible to detect abnormalities when things like high temperatures occur.In order to improve the ability to notice abnormalities, it is necessary to constantly look at them every day and grasp the normal state,” he emphasized the importance of daily inspections.
In parallel with this workshop, from January 23rd to March 30th, 32 engineers from the two 97-meter patrol boats provided by Japan were invited to participate in training for seafarers at the Magsaysay Institute of Engine operation and maintenance training is also being conducted at Shipping (MIS). (Tomoaki Takeshita)
