The 2600-ton frigate, with a peak speed of 25 knots, features the first guided missile and torpedo operation by the Philippine Navy.

After a lift-off ceremony organized by HHI on Monday, the new ship set sail to Subic port in the Philippines.

The contractor said the launch came four months ahead of the originally scheduled delivery date for the vessel in September 2020 given travel restrictions on staff and materials due to COVID-19 spread.

ROKS Seongnam (PCC-775) was dispatched by the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) to the ceremony to give Jose Rizal a safe voyage.

Additionally, HHI said that it shipped quarantine supplies such as 20,000 masks, 180 bottles of disinfectants, 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizers and 300 packages of sanitizing wipes in the vessel as a token of gratitude for Philippines' participation in the Korean War.

HHI has played a crucial role in the modernisation of ROK Navy building new warships after the arrival of the first Korean-built frigate ROKS Ulsan in 1980. After that time the shipbuilder has extended his business with inexpensive warships to worldwide navies. In June 2020 HHI is expected to deliver HMNZS Aotearoa, the Royal New Zealand Navy's 26,000-ton logistics support vessel.

Maritime Business World