PHILIPPINE MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY

GRADUATE SCHOOL

3RD TRIMESTER 2016

GENERAL SHIPS KNOWLEDGE AND OPERATIONS

SHIP VISIT ONBOARD

BRP DAVAO DEL NORTE (SARV 3504)

Pier 13, South Harbor

December 3, 2016

8:30 10:30

Ma. Lourisa Loren D. Tumpang

Student

The Ship BRP Davao del Norte (SARV 3504)

 BRP Davao del Norte (SARV 3504) is a search and rescue vessel, owned by the
Republic of the Philippines and manned by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The vessel is
white in appearance in order for it to be easily identified as manned by the PCG. The official
name of the vessel is BRP Davao del Norte and its pennant is SARV 3504. Unlike merchant
ships, she does not any IMO number. BRP stands for Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas,
while SARV stands for Search and Rescue vessel. This vessel, is the fourth among four (4)
sister ships under the Ilocos Norte class measuring 35 meters, hence the pennant 3504.

The BRP Davao del Norte is an all-aluminum patrol boat designed by Tenix
Shipbuiding in Australia and was delivered to the Philippine government last December
2001. The BRP Davao del Norte is a very lightweight and fast vessel which basically serves
its purpose as a search and rescue vessel.

*Tenix Defence - Marine. "Naval and Paramilitary Vessels" (PDF)

At first glance, the vessel looks crowded especially when the crew told us that there
are 24 crew onboard and that at least a third of this number should always be on board to
man the vessel. However, considering that the BRP Davao del Norte is used for search and
rescue missions, requiring a lot of crew and personnel onboard really makes sense.
 The BRP Davao del Norte is a geared vessel and also has her own rubber boat on
board which can accommodate 10 persons. She also has some life buoys, life rafts among
other things used in rescue operations.
 Aside from this, the BRP Davao del Norte has two (2) main engines one for the port
side and one for the starboard side for easier maneuverability in case the PCG needs to
engage in a chase.

The main engines of BRP Davao del Norte

The engines are also complemented by two controllers on the deck.

 Aside from being a search and rescue vessel, the BRP Davao del Norte is also used
in patrolling Philippine waters. In this regard, gun turrets have also been added on board, in
case a chase turns violent. The gun turrets are not made of aluminum, hence the rust in its
base. In the deck, there were two guns mounted, however, the crew did not remove the
cover of the guns. Moreover, the crew also informed us that there were more guns and
ammunition onboard although they are hidden.

Despite this, the crew onboard the BRP Davao del Norte was very warm and
accommodating. It was surprising that most of them are about the same age as I am. I am
not very sure about the age of the captain, though, since he was not around when we
boarded the vessel.

In my personal opinion, the BRP Davao del Norte was advanced and highly
technological based on the equipment I saw onboard, although there was no ECDIS
installed in her. She was also properly maintained. In fact, the crew told us that she just
came out of the ship yard after a year of dry docking.
My Experience

All in all, boarding the BRP Davao del Norte was a great learning experience. It was
not my first time to be on board a vessel, although, it was actually the first time I boarded a
coast guard vessel and the experience was very different from embarking a merchant
vessel.

For one, the BRP Davao del Norte was very small compared to a supramax bulk
carrier, where I have been to previously. I was actually able to see the whole BRP Davao
del Norte in about an hour or so. Additionally, the BRP Davao del Norte is only three-storeys
high as opposed to a supramax vessel that has about six (6) to eight (8) floors. Since the
vessel was small, the equipment and gear onboard were also small. I was actually surprised
to see that the windlass was very tiny, but on second thoughts, it was just the right size for
the BRP Davao del Norte.

The Windlass of BRP Davao del Norte

Aside from the difference in size and function between a search and rescue vessel
and a merchant ship, another important detail I learned during the trip was that the terms
and jargons used in a commissioned ship is simpler than those used in merchant vessels.
Terms, instructions and directions used in commissioned vessels are usually just ordinal
numbers one (1), two (2), three (3) as opposed to more complicated ones such as full,
half in merchant vessels.
 Also, being a commissioned vessel and under a uniformed agency, every action
onboard the BRP Davao del Norte is signaled by the Boatswains pipe.

The Boatswains Pipe

Recommendation

In conclusion, I recommend that visiting ships be included in the curriculum of

General Ships Knowledge and Familiarization. Visiting ships would be helpful for non-
maritime students like me to have a better understanding of what it is to be like onboard. In
the classroom, students are taught theories, jargons and nomenclature relating to the ship.

By visiting actual ships, students are able to be on the actual deck and view the sea
from within it. Students are also able to see what an actual engine room looks like and how
big the engines are. Aside from this, students are able to observe how the seafarers
conduct themselves onboard. More importantly, students are also able to interact with actual
seafarers onboard and hear their stories. In my opinion, just be merely hearing the stories of
actual seafarers, one would be able to imagine how life is onboard and be emphatic to them.
This empathy, hopefully, would result in better judgement when it comes to matters related to
not only the seafarers, but to the cargo and the vessel, as a whole.
 Generally, the type of ship to visit should not matter since all ships are built in a
similar manner. However, since most of the students deal with merchant ships, it is
advisable that students visit a tanker vessel and a bulk carrier, if time permits. This way, the
students would be able to compare and contrast the difference between the two types of
vessels. Aside from this, they would also be able to see the different safety and security
precautions being applied on board both types of vessels. If in case this is not possible, then
visiting either a tanker vessel or a bulk carrier would be satisfactory.

Additionally, I believe it would also be helpful for students like me to be able to join an
actual training being conducted onboard such as a safety drill. It may also be useful if we
are able to observe an actual vessel operation such as a loading or discharging operation.

Reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilocos_Norte-class_patrol_boat