The San Juan-class patrol vessel consists of four vessels built by the Australian shipbuilding company Tenix for the Philippine Coast Guard. They were commissioned from 2000 to 2003. Their hull number prefix "SARV" means they are classified by the coast guard as "search and rescue vessels". They specialize in and are designed for search and rescue and other maritime emergencies.
Technical details and structure
The San Juan-class were built brand-new. Designed to be a purpose built Maritime Emergency vessel with the capabilities to support recovery and evacuation of survivors at sea, including jackstay transfer, provide emergency medical operating facilities, helicopter operations including deck refueling, maritime pollution control and containment, alongside firefighting facilities for adjacent ships and decompression and diving facilities. The San Juan class was designed in accordance to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Classification "Rules for Classification of High Speed and Light craft" with notation 1A1 HSLC Crew R1. The following International Convention, Regulations and Standards were also applicable to the vessel: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1997 Consolidated Edition, International Load Line Convention 1966, International Tonnage Convention 1969, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78 Annex. I (Oil) & IV (Sewage) with Amendments, Regulations of the Flag State, Philippine Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). Alongside firefighting capability is provided by a main reduction gearbox driven pump supplying two fire monitors mounted on the aft end of the bridge. Each monitor is capable of providing a seawater throw of 100 meters at a rate of 300 cubic meters per hour. These can be operated remotely from the bridge or via a wandering lead from the bridge wings. The operation permits one monitor to provide fog spray, to protect the vessel itself and the other providing a jet spray directed to the adjacent vessel on fire.
The vessel is also equipped with four 25-person SOLAS inflatable rafts; six 65-person open reversible rafts; one 6.5 meter Rapid Intervention Boat with a speed in excess of 25 knots and an 85 nautical mile range, launched from the stern transom ramp; four 4.5 meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats are carried on the bridge deck and launched by an Elbeck crane; and one Twinlock Decompression chamber, consisting of two berth inner lock and medical outer lock. A separate survivor's area has been included in the vessel's arrangement, which provides for the decompression chamber, medical reception, operation theater and seating in an open plan arrangement. It takes a crew of 37: six officers, six petty officers, a medical officer that is also a hyperbaric specialist, two rescue divers, a corpsman and twenty-one ratings. Acquired through soft loans from Australia initiated in 1997, each ship originally cost A$19 million, reduced to A$16.7 million.