Navy readies christening of 2 brand-new warships
The Philippine Navy will be christening and commissioning two brand-new ships, an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) and a fast attack interdiction craft (FAIC) at Naval Operating Base-Subic in Zambales on Feb. 24.
In an advisory on Sunday, the Navy said these ships are the recently delivered OPV BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20) and the FAIC, BRP Audrey Bañares (PG-910).
The Rajah Sulayman is the first of the six OPVs contracted from South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), while the Audrey Bañares is the last of the nine ships acquired from Israeli Shipyards Limited.
The christening and commissioning ceremonies will be held at Quay 7 of Naval Operating Base-Subic.
The Bañares was named after Navy commando Petty Officer Jose Audrey Bañares, who was killed off Zamboanga City in September 2013 after a sea battle with Moro National Liberation Front extremists.
The Rajah Sulayman, named after the pre-Hispanic commander of Tagalog forces in the 1570 Battle of Manila, was launched at the HD HHI shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea on June 11, 2025, and arrived in the Philippines on Jan. 17.
The warship is the first of the six OPVs ordered from shipbuilder HD HHI, worth around P30 billion in 2022.
The ship and its sister vessels are expected to conduct missions aimed at protecting the country’s vast waters.
The contract for the nine FAICs, also known as the Acero-class gunboats, worth PHP10 billion, was issued in February 2021.
