The Commander of Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao, Captain Oscar C Endona PCG welcomed the arrival of Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel, PLH08 Echigo at Sasa Wharf, Davao City today, June 1.

The said vessel will participate in this year's conduct of the 12th Maritime Law Enforcement Exercise (MARLEN) with the Philippine Coast Guard, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) at vicinity waters off Talicud Island, Igacos, Davao Del Norte on 03 June 2017.

The arrival ceremony was attended by the PCG Officers, PLH08 Echigo Commanding Officer; Captain Chikara Toyota JCG, PLH08 Echigo Executive Officer; Kazuya Sueda JCG, Director on Piracy Counter Measure; Koji Tsuchiya JCG and representatives from Philippine Navy; Lieutenant Commander Dennis O Donga and  Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Manager; Ms. Analle Aguila.

After which, the crew of PLH08 Echigo paid a courtesy call to the District Commander of CGDSEM to discuss the preparations and activities to be conducted during the actual exercise on June 3.

The 105-meter patrol vessel has a standard cruising speed of 22 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles. The vessel has a complement of 50 people. She was complexly built in February 1990 and was constructed in order to deal with the expansion of Japanese territorial sea and the economic exclusive zones and other responsible sea area bound by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue of 1979.