THE newly-repaired patrol ship of the Philippine Navy, BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15), emitted an unusual volume of smoke during a sea trial in Subic in Zambales last Monday, the Navy said yesterday.
The former US Coast Guard cutter, which was donated by the US government in May 2011, ship ran aground at the Hasa-hasa Shoal or Half Moon Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea in August 2018 during a routine patrol. The repair job was completed recently, paving the way for the conduct of the sea trial.
Navy spokesman Cdr. Benjo Negranza said that during the trial, which was conducted to gauge the ship’s seaworthiness after the repair, PS-15 emitted a “more-than-usual smoke” but there was no fire incident at the ship.
“The ship’s force, together with our engineers and contracted repair specialists, are looking at the possible cause of the unusual volume of smoke,” he added.
Negranza sought to downplay the incident amid speculations on social media that there was fire aboard, saying it is no different from a car emitting a huge volume of smoke after being sidelined for a long time.
“It’s not (a setback). The sea trial went on, it started on the morning and went back (to the port) on the afternoon. There was an unusual volume of smoke but there is no truth to allegations that it caught fire,” said Negranza.
Negranza assured the public that the Navy is doing its best “to make her ready and operational again.”
He also said the Philippine Navy “continues to collaborate with the US Naval Sea Systems Command to ensure PS-15’s readiness.”
