VietNamNet Bridge - The Philippine Navy has cancelled a scheduled port visit to Vietnam by the Philippine frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz "due to unavoidable circumstances and the change of operational demand of the said Philippine Navy vessel."

The Philippine frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

The scheduled port visit was supposed to be from July 11 to 15, 2016.

More than 200 personnel from the Naval Task Group 80 - comprising surface warfare students, medical teams, and naval special operations teams - were supposed to sail aboard the Ramon Alcaraz.

The Navy said the visit was supposed to ''demonstrate the Philippine Navy's sincere show of support to Vietnam People's Navy and send a strong message of cooperation between the two navies to the regional/international community."

One of the Philippine Navy's Agusta 109 helicopters would have also been aboard the Philippine Vessel.

Philippine Navy public affairs office chief Capt. Lued lincuna declined to give the reason for the cancellation, saying it was operational in nature.

BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) is a frigate in the Philippine Navy and the second ship of the Gregorio del Pilar class. From 1968 to 2012, it was known as USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716) and served the United States Coast Guard as a high endurance cutter. It was decommissioned on 30 March 2012 and was acquired by the Philippines under the Excess Defense Articles and the Foreign Assistance Act.

Ramon Alcaraz is the second of several ex-US Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutters that serves the Philippine Navy.

Inquirer/Zing