The Japan Coast Guard has taken delivery of its seventh Miyako-class large patrol vessel, the JCG Hiroshima (PL-207), from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The handover was conducted at the company’s center in Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, and was attended by the force’s Deputy Director General Wataru Sasaki alongside the shipyard’s officials.
Following its induction, the platform will be operated by the Hiroshima Coast Guard Office under the service’s 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, from which it will deploy in support of territorial defense, public safety and rescue missions, as well as maritime resource conservation.
Completing 11 Ships
Tokyo commissioned the construction of the Miyako-class fleet in 2016, with the program of record currently standing at 11 vessels.
The effort was initiated to counter growing Chinese activity along the disputed, uninhabited Senkaku Islands, a 7-square-kilometer (3-square-mile) territory west of Okinawa administered by Japan but also claimed by Beijing and Taiwan.
Out of the ordered hulls, the PL-207 is the sixth ship developed by Mitsubishi.
“Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Maritime Systems will leverage its enhanced development and design capabilities in the marine sector … to contribute to the advancement of society through the construction of vessels that enhance maritime security capabilities,” the company stated.
The Miyako-Class Ship
Japan’s Miyako system is built with a 117-meter (384-foot) structure and a beam of 15 meters (49 feet).
Sources indicate that it can accommodate between 40 and 50 people, as well as a single maritime helicopter.
The vessel sails with four 6,000-horsepower Yanmar 8EY33W diesel engines, allowing speeds of more than 25 knots (46 kilometers/29 miles per hour).
Miyako’s performance is set to exceed the operational reach of its predecessor, the Shikishima-class platform, at 20,000 nautical miles (37,040 kilometers/23,016 miles).
The ship is armed with two 40mm naval cannons, remote water cannons, and an intelligence collection suite.
