T

he Philippine government is considering ordering a medical support ship from state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia after previously procuring two ships of the Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) class, an Indonesian Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.

Philippine National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana held talks on the defense industry with the Indonesian delegation on the sidelines of the 2016 Asian Defense & Security (ADAS) exhibition in Manila.

“The Secretary of National Defense and the Philippine Navy chief of staff are impressed with the medical support vessel that will be fit for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief [HADR] operations,” the head of the Indonesian delegation, Brig. Gen. Jan Pieter Ate, told The Jakarta Post from Manila over the phone.

“The secretary has talked to the Navy chief of staff about the importance of having the medical vessel.”

Jan Pieter, the Defense Ministry’s director for defense technology and industry, said the vessel could carry numerous helicopters to evacuate victims of natural disasters.

“The vessel is very suitable for the Philippines, which is located in a disaster-prone region,” he said.

He added that Lorenzana showed deep interest in the 123-meter hospital ship and spent a long time looking at a mock-up of the vessel.