The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has stricken a lot of countries globally including the Philippines, affecting people’s welfare, socio-economic condition of the country, and government resilience and thinking on ways to respond to the interconnecting issues brought by this pandemic. This pandemic has led the world to enter into a ‘new normal’ set up under adherence of strict health awareness and…
FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREAS (FMA) The Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 263 or the Establishment of Fisheries Management Areas (FMA) for the Conservation and Management of Fisheries in Philippine Waters took effect on 9-February-2019. The objective of the policy is to establish FMA and provide a science-based, participatory and transparent governance framework and mechanism to sustainably manage fisheries. Under FAO 263,…
INTRODUCTION: THE TIES THAT BIND. In August 1947, a naval mission was organized by the U.S. Navy in Subic Bay Naval Base to bring in former Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers (AM) of the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy to form the nucleus of the Korean Naval Defense Corps being activated under the supervision of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Korean Naval…
Amidst the global economic standstill due to the pandemic, a tremendous glut in crude oil supply resulted, and consequently, oil prices plunged. This boded well for the oil tanker industry. But effective May 1, oil producing countries have begun to lower output to reduce the over supply of crude oil. As a result, the price of crude oil has doubled,…
Seafarers from the Philippines are the most satisfied seafarer group by nationality serving onboard ships, as shown by the SAFETY4SEA Crew Wellness survey. The difference with the other nationalities was actually so wide that it could lead us to assume that there is a correlation between nationality and happiness onboard. The SAFETY4SEA survey took place in Q4 2019, gathering responses…
Summary. Methanol is a versatile and efficient chemical used as fuel in the production of countless products. Carbon dioxide (CO2), on the other hand, is a greenhouse gas, the unwanted byproduct of many industrial processes. Converting CO2 to Methanol is one way to put CO2 to good use. Separation membranes could vastly improve multiple chemical processes. In research paper published…
According to CAI International, “Since the 1960’s, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) has been the king of shipping fuels. A byproduct of crude oil, HFO expels 35,000 ppm into the environment and accounts for 8% of the sulfuric dioxide in the air. The arrival of the IMO 2020 fuel regulation in 2019 signaled a formal move toward alternatives to HFO like…
The Philippines has taken first steps into the offshore wind power sector with plans to develop 1.2 GW, according to an international consortium that said it has been given the go-ahead to advance wind farm projects there. Triconti ECC, an alliance between Swiss, German and local players, claimed the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) gave it “exclusive rights to studying…
The adoption of the ‘Initial International Maritime Organization (IMO) Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships’ by IMO Resolution MEPC.304(72) in April 2018 demonstrates IMO’s commitment to support the Paris Agreement. The IMO strategy includes initial targets to reduce as compared to 2008 levels the average CO2 emissions per ‘transport work’ by at least 40% by 2030,…
ShippingLab has announced its support for a new project that will convert power from the Wind turbines at the Port of Hvide Sande to hydrogen for use in a fuel cell intended to power a vessel. The vessel powered by the fuel cell will be used to keep the Danish port entrance free of sand. The companies involved in the…
Two industry leaders, Jotun and Kongsberg Maritime, partnered to develop a robotic hull-cleaning device called the Jotun HullSkater designed to be carried onboard trips, and deployed regularly to scrub early-stage fouling. The HullSkater removes bacteria and biofilm from the hull before macro-fouling (e.g., barnacles) can take hold. Biofouling is a major contributor to fuel consumption and operating cost, and thus…
After having announced their three-month biofuel trial, leading short-sea shipowner United European Car Carriers (UECC) and the GoodShipping Program have now partnered with premium car manufacturer BMW Group to continue to test marine Bio Fuel Oil (BFO) on UECC’s “roll on, roll off’ (RORO) car carrying vessels. BMW Group joins UECC and the GoodShipping Program in the previously announced trial,…
Many companies are taking part in Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ship Project (DFFAS Project), which aims to realize a domestic coastal shipping business supported by crewless maritime autonomous surface ships. Accordingly, the project will move towards the standardization of technology and the establishment of systems and infrastructure as well and plans to carry out a long-distance demonstration trial…
A Naval Architect derives the hydrostatic curves of a ship from the lines drawing designs. The hydrostatic curve is a calculation of the underwater volume of the hull that supports buoyancy so the ship can float freely on the surface of the water. The immersed underwater volume of the hull of the ship displaces a volume of water in cubic…
Ships are extraordinary designs, which even with just their size can amaze. But there is one specific element of a ship’s design that stands out, and what is more, not many know what it does exactly. We are talking of course, about the bulbous bow. The bulbous bow is that strange protrusion at the ship’s forward end, sticking out below…
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) opened the South Harbor Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) medical treatment facility on April 21, earlier than expected. PPA fast-tracked the completion of the facility in its bid to boost the medical treatment capacity of the National Capital Region as well as its nearby cities and provinces, which has been lacking due to the increasing number…
The ports of tomorrow could be connected through 5G networks and fuelled by hydrogen if two new pilot schemes in Europe fulfill their promise. Research into the potential uses of 5G for connecting ports with transport and logistics industries is underway in Antwerp. At the same time, a new EU-funded “H2ports” project –which increases a terminal’s energy efficiency by using…
A native of Manila, Commodore Carlos Leong Agustin AFP (Ret) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, USA in 1960. He took Weapons Systems Engineering at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA; Naval Staff Course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, UK; NR course in National Security Management at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces,…
I cannot forget that final day in 1977 when we in the DND Strategic Studies Group (SSG) headed by then Col Salvador Regalado PAF that was specially created by DND Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, presented our final proposed draft of the revised PH-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA) when, after the ensuing discussions, we were surprised by the position paper prepared…
Philippine President Duterte has recently forwarded notice to the United States (U.S.) his decision to terminate the current Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that has been in effect since 1999. This long-standing agreement is scheduled to renew or expire in August 2020. The concerns expressed by many -for or against this action- address many opinions of which I will try to…
A Philippine Navy officer made history as the first woman to become a Commodore (equivalent to Brigadier General or one-star rank in the Army, Air Force, and Marines). Promoted to the rank was Captain Luzviminda Camacho, Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Office of Legislative Affairs. Aside from being the first woman to get the rank, Camacho…
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations under the Economic and Social Council. Founded on 7-April-1948 its goal is to “ensure the attainment of all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” Its current mission is to “promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.” The WHO has 194 member states…
The Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19) infection was first reported on 31-Dec-2019. The virus originated from Wuhan, China and quickly spread to coastal cities, and internationally. The South China Agricultural University reports their discovery of a 99% genetic match between CoVID-19 and a strain of the virus in pangolins. An earlier study published in Nature finds the probable origin of the virus…
The Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum Foundation, Inc. (SCHMFI) is a formal institution based in Cebu City. It was created with the main task of building the first Chinese-Cebuano museum to showcase centuries of collaboration between the Chinese and Filipino people. The Foundation was established on September 2010, inspired by reflections during a Jesuit Chinese-Filipino Lay Apostolate conference that pointed to…
Arduous Beginnings Nicknamed “Tangkad,” Col. Mariano G. Robles could easily be picked out in a crowd or even battlefield. But it was his sharp analytical mind and photographic memory that stood out even more than his 6’4” stature. His other nickname, “Long,” was both a reference to his towering height and his unheard of ability to hit long-range targets with…