French shipbuilder to invest P1.5B in PH shipyard project

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Offshore patrol vessel Gabriela Silang, which was constructed by OCEA for the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo courtesy of OCEA.
  • French shipbuilding company OCEA S.A. has pledged P1.5 billion in investments for a shipyard project in the Philippines, according to the Department of Trade and Industry
  • The project may potentially create up to 600 jobs
  • A shipbuilding firm in northwest France, OCEA has delivered more than 300 vessels since it began operations in 1987

French shipbuilding company OCEA S.A. has pledged P1.5 billion in investments for a shipyard project in the Philippines, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

OCEA chief executive officer Roland Joassard formally expressed the company’s intent to set up a shipyard in the country during the 9th Philippine-France Joint Economic Committee meeting held virtually last July 2.

DTI in a statement said the project may potentially create 500 to 600 direct and indirect jobs. No further details on the investment were disclosed.

OCEA is a shipbuilding firm in northwest France that specializes in the design, construction and support of aluminium vessels for patrol, maritime safety and security, passenger and freight transportation, oil and gas crew boats, offshore support vessels, research vessels, multipurpose workboats, trans-oceanic yachts, and fishing boats. It has delivered more than 300 vessels since it began operations in 1987.

OCEA constructed Gabriela Silang, the largest and most modern offshore patrol boat of the Philippine Coast Guard. The boat was ordered in 2017, left France in 2019 and finally arrived in the Philippines in April 2020.

Aside from OCEA’s pledge, French Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester also presented to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez three letters of intent confirming financial support for upcoming projects with DTI, financial support for a training boat contract for the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, and a possible maritime expert proposal.

Lopez handed over to the French minister a letter from the Bases Conversion Development Authority for the next-phase study of the Clark Fresh Food Hub. Another letter from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines addressed to the French Directorate General of Civil Aviation was also handed conveying strong interest in renewing technical training programs.

Both countries agreed to pursue specific integrated circuit design collaboration projects given the existing partnerships in the academe and between both countries’ electronics associations, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. and ACSIEL-Alliance Electronique.

There were also discussions on aeronautics and space, creative industries, and energy and green technology.