BRP Boracay (FPB-2401) is the lead ship of four Boracay class Patrol Boats built by OCEA of France for the

Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Ph ...

based on the

Ocea FPB 72 French shipbuilding firm Ocea has designed and sold fast patrol boat it calls the Ocea FPB 72. it has delivered FPB 72 vessels to Suriname, Nigeria and the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republi ...

design.

Construction, delivery and commissioning

BRP ''Boracay'' was launched in April 2018 at the OCEA site in Les Sables d’Olonne,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and was commissioned into service in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in October 2018 along with its sister ship, the .

Operational history

In early October 2018, BRP ''Boracay'' made its first deployment in the island it was named after,

Boracay Boracay (; often locally shortened to Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of three barangays in Malay, Aklan ...

in the province of

Aklan Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan (Akeanon: ''Probinsya it Akean'' k'ɣan hil, Kapuoran sang Aklan; tl, Lalawigan ng Aklan), is a province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital is Kalibo. The province is situate ...

Western Visayas Western Visayas ( hil, Kabisay-an Nakatundan; tl, Kanlurang Kabisayaan or ''Kanlurang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimara ...

. In late October 2018, the ship made its first rescue when it along with assisted in the transfer of passengers of the M/V ''Super Shuttle 18'' which was stranded off the port of

Malay, Aklan Malay , officially the Municipality of Malay ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Malay''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Malay''; tl, Bayan ng Malay), is a 1st class cosmopolitan municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. It is the richest municipality in ...

due to engine trouble. All of the 142 passengers of M/V Super Shuttle 18 were later safely brought to the Caticlan Jetty Port. In November 2018, BRP ''Boracay'' participated in a joint Anti-Piracy Drill with the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

ship Echigo (PLH-08) and PCG ships the and . The drill was held in

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

and featured the mock hijacking of a vessel and arrest of the perpetrators aboard the ship. In January 2019, the ship together with the was positioned at the

Manila Baywalk The Baywalk is a popular seaside promenade and beachfront overlooking Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard in the Manila, Philippines. The Baywalk is a two-kilometre stretch from the US Embassy near Rizal Park up to the Cultural Center of the Philip ...

to serve as Command Post and alternate Medical Evacuation Post in case of Emergencies during the annual ''Traslación''

Procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

of the

Black Nazarene The Black Nazarene ( es, El Nazareno Negro, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno; fil, Poóng Itím na Nazareno, Hesus Nazareno) is a life-sized image of a dark-skinned, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the Cross enshrined in the Minor Basilica of the ...

image."Coast Guard heightens Security Preps for ‘Traslacion’"
/ref>

References

Ships of the Philippine Coast Guard 2018 ships Ships built in France {{ship-stub