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MANILA, Philippines – French shipbuilder Naval Group will open an office in Manila in early 2021 as it seeks to further its serious interest in supplying the first submarines to the Philippine Navy.
The opening of the office would be the first step in fulfilling “a long-term commitment to cooperation and partnership in the development of naval capabilities” for the Philippines, the French defense contractor said in a statement.
Among the catalogs that the Philippine Navy was watching closely is the diesel-electric submarine Scorpene, manufactured by the Naval Group.
Pierre-Eric Pommellet, CEO of the Naval Group, was quoted by Naval News last year as saying his company was in “intense discussions” with the Philippine government for the purchase of the submarine.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who had shown a penchant for French submarines on several occasions, signed a non-binding defense cooperation agreement with his French counterpart Florence Parly in 2019 for a possible submarine purchase deal.
Philippine interest in acquiring submarines had made the news in recent years. In 2019, then-Navy Chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said the Navy had started sending some of its men to France for training ahead of a possible submarine deal.
The plan to acquire submarines had already been approved by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, but funding remained a major obstacle.
The Philippines, an archipelago with one of the longest coastlines in the world, lags behind in the submarine race with its neighbors in the region. The Philippines, which has one of the weakest armed forces in the region, is currently modernizing its armed forces in the face of internal and external security challenges.
Naval Group said it aims to bring its “unrivaled breadth of experience and expertise in ships and submarines” to Manila. It included Malaysia, India and Australia as clients.
“We are the only vendor with prior experience helping a country develop a submarine force from scratch,” said Alain Guillou, Naval Group senior executive vice president of development.
“We are ready to assist the Philippine Navy by providing the submarines, but also establishing the training, facilities and supply chain necessary to operate a fully functioning fleet of submarines,” he said.
Anne Clausard, Naval Group Country Head, said the creation of a submarine force is “a fantastic opportunity for us to develop long-term partnerships with local industry where there will be knowledge and technology transfer that will also create hundreds of jobs for the program and beyond. “
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