Manila, Oct. 3 (CNA) A patrol vessel donated by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) to the Philippines was commissioned into the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday, according to a Philippine non-governmental organization that facilitated the transfer.
The CGA on Sept. 16 confirmed media reports that Taiwan had donated a retired 500-tonne-class patrol vessel to the Philippines. The Manila-based We Protect Our Seas (WPS) Foundation, which served as an intermediary in the transfer, said the vessel was formerly the CGA's 500-tonne-class Kinmen patrol vessel (CG123).
In a statement issued Friday, the WPS Foundation said the vessel, now known as the BRP Sarangani, had been commissioned into the PCG the same day.
The vessel is approximately 61 meters long and 11.7 meters wide, with a full-load displacement of around 688 metric tons, according to the statement.
"It gives the PCG an additional platform for maritime patrols, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, marine environmental protection, training, and other civilian missions," the statement said.
The donation also reflects how far practical maritime cooperation between the peoples of the Philippines and Taiwan has come since the "difficult" 2013 incident involving a Taiwanese fishing vessel, the statement said, alluding to the fatal shooting by the PCG of a Taiwanese fisherman aboard his fishing vessel, which was operating in an area where the exclusive economic zones of the two countries overlap.
"Both sides have since worked to prevent similar incidents and to build cooperation in areas such as maritime safety and search and rescue," the statement said.
In an interview with CNA, Jeffrey Ordaniel, president and CEO of the WPS Foundation, said the parties involved "began discussing the possible donation and transfer in December 2025."
"It took months of quiet discussions and coordination to get it across the finish line," he said.
"One of the main challenges was navigating the political sensitivities surrounding the Philippines' One China policy," he said, adding that there had been no violation of the policy throughout the transfer.
The organization also had to work through funding issues related to the ship's refurbishment, Ordaniel said.
"In the end, we were able to secure the transfer at no cost to the Philippine government," he said.
He said the ship will be deployed in Mindanao to help secure shipping routes and the maritime environment in the area.
Ordaniel thanked Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), deputy secretary-generals Wen Lii (李問) and Vincent Chao (趙怡翔), and Taiwan's Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) for their roles in the transfer.
"The vessel transfer certainly advanced the friendship and shared values of the people of both sides of the Luzon Strait," Ordaniel said.
The WPS Foundation seeks to advance "principled approaches" to resolving maritime disputes in the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea through research and dialogue with academia, public policy, military and industry, according to its website.
It is also the coordinating organization of the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea and the Dialogue on ASEAN Maritime Security.