Manila’s new offshore patrol vessels will serve as a sustained maritime presence in the South China Sea in protection of Philippine fishermen, the country’s naval chief announced this week.

The Philippine Navy welcomed first-in-class BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS20) in a ceremony held Tuesday at the service’s primary operating base in Subic Bay.

“Our [offshore patrol vessels] shall stand as a modern symbol of courage, as they will primarily contribute to safeguarding our maritime domain and patrolling the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Maria Ambrosio Ezpeleta said during the arrival ceremony.

Ordered from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in 2022, the six-ship class of offshore patrol vessels marked the third contract won by the South Korean shipbuilder for the service’s modernization program. According to an HHI fact sheet, the 2,450-ton Rajah Sulayman-class can sustain missions for 30 days at a time and out to 5,500 nautical miles in support of maritime patrol operations. The company also claims upgraded variants of the OPV design could support anti-air and electronic warfare operations through specialized payload modules.

Manila’s South Korean warship orders are set to modernize and expand the country’s blue water naval forces. In 2016, the Philippine Navy relied on three ex-Royal Navy Peacock-class corvettes and three ex-U.S. Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutters. Now, the Philippine Navy is on track to operate six Korean-built frigates and six OPVs by the 2030s.

Tensions with Beijing over several disputed South China Sea maritime features have driven the Philippine Navy’s modernization effort. A 2012 incident over Scarborough Shoal revealed the service’s inadequacy to uphold Philippine claims in the area, and in turn informed the priorities of the first phase of military modernization programs. These incidents have also fueled the Philippine Coast Guard’s expansion, which has turned to Japan and France for patrol vessels.

The arrival of Rajah Sulayman also reinforces the Philippine Navy’s domestic efforts to assert itself as a force that can be deployed to counter Chinese counterparts across the South China Sea.

Last year, the National Maritime Council claimed the Philippines would not deploy Navy vessels to Scarborough Shoal as it would be seen as “warlike” and escalatory against China. However, the Philippine Navy has deployed warships to the waters around the maritime feature, at times clashing with the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

“The said OPV will support maritime patrols, domain awareness and law enforcement missions in accordance with international law, which will contribute to the protection of Filipino fisherfolk, and the promotion of safe maritime activities,” reads the Navy OPV welcoming ceremony release.

The remaining five vessels are expected to arrive over the next two years and will be followed by an additional two frigates that the Philippines ordered last month. South Korean shipbuilders are also looking to tackle the Southeast Asian nation’s submarine program, which aims to bring two attack boats and Manila’s first subsurface naval capability.