HD Hyundai Heavy Industries launches third Philippine offshore patrol vessel

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries held a launching ceremony Tuesday at its Ulsan headquarters for the Raja Humabon, the third in a series of 2,400-ton-class offshore patrol vessels built for the Philippine Navy. It is the company's first export warship launching this year.

The ceremony was attended by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho, Philippine Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta, Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Bernadette Therese Fernandez, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Rommel Roldan.

The vessel is named after Raja Humabon, a 16th-century chieftain of Cebu Island who played a pivotal role in spreading Christianity in the Philippines. The state-of-the-art offshore patrol vessel measures 94 meters in length and 14 meters in beam, with a cruising speed of 15 knots (about 28 kilometers per hour) and a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,186 kilometers). Equipped with advanced weapons systems — including a 76mm main gun, a 30mm secondary gun, a decoy launching system, search radar and electro-optical tracking equipment — the ship is scheduled for delivery to the Philippine Navy in February next year.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries delivered the first vessel in the series, the Raja Sulayman, in February, about five months ahead of schedule. The second, the Raja Lakandula, was formally commissioned into the Philippine Navy in June. The company plans to deliver the fourth through sixth vessels in sequence by 2028.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' naval cooperation with the Philippines dates back to 2016, when it signed a contract for the Philippine Navy's first frigate. Over the past decade, the company has secured orders for 12 vessels in total — four frigates, two corvettes and six offshore patrol vessels — and has delivered six of them.

"Backed by the trust the Philippines has placed in us, we have delivered six vessels on time or ahead of schedule, firmly establishing ourselves as a committed partner in the modernization of the Philippine Navy," President Joo said. "We will continue to fulfill our role as a strategic partner — including through MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services — to help the Philippine Navy build a stable operational foundation."

Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is accelerating its push into global markets, drawing on the export experience and partnerships it has built with the Philippines. In August, the company held a launching ceremony at Peru's SIMA shipyard for the Chimbote, the first of a new class of landing support vessels for the Peruvian Navy.