The Philippine National Police - Maritime Group (PNP-MG) took receipt of four new aluminium-hull patrol boats on the western island of Palawan on 8 July.
The four Dauntless 30-class vessels – built by Willard Marine based in California under a contract announced on 3 September 2015 – were donated to the Philippines by the US. Collectively they are worth more than $2.3 million.
They will be used to patrol coastal waters, combat smuggling, drugs, human trafficking and other forms of seafaring crime, all near areas high in tension due to territorial disputes between Manila and Beijing.
The vessels