Japan’s coast guard builds its largest patrol ship

TOKYO, Aug. 27 (Jiji Press) — The Japan Coast Guard plans to build its largest patrol ship yet to improve its response capabilities to disasters and other emergency situations, officials said Tuesday.

The Coast Guard’s largest patrol vessel to date is 150 meters long and weighs 6,500 tons. The new vessel will be around 200 meters long and weigh about 30,000 tons.

The new ship is expected to enter service in the 2029 fiscal year. It will be used to transport relief supplies in the event of a disaster and to evacuate residents in emergency situations, such as a possible conflict over Taiwan.

The total construction cost is estimated at 68 billion yen, of which the Coast Guard will request 3.43 billion yen for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins next April.

The new ship will have enough space to transport over 1,000 people in case of emergency and there will also be space to park large vehicles such as ambulances and buses. It will also have space for three helicopters.

(Copyright: The Jiji Press, Ltd.)