MARINA

No Picture

New Appointments at PCG and MARINA

The President appointed two senior maritime officials under the Department of Transportation to lead the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Administration (MARINA) in October and December last year. The new Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard is Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan PCG who assumed after the retirement of Admiral Artemio Abu in October. He was Deputy…


MARINA Partners with UPOU to Elevate Delivery of Maritime Education and Training

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), represented by Administrator Atty. Hernani N. Fabia and OIC Executive Director of the STCW Office, Mr. Samuel L. Batalla, forged a Memorandum of Understanding for institutional partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) represented by Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor and Dr. Joane V. Serrano, UPOU Dean for Faculty of…


Dotr Usec – Maritime Sector Commodore Elmer Francisco Sarmiento Pcga Gives an Inspirational Message on Board BRP Gabriela Silang

At the BEACON 2023 Maritime Conference and Exhibition of the Maritime League launching on board BRP Gabriela Silang on 28-March-2023 at Pier 13 South Harbor, the Department of Transportation Undersecretary – Maritime Sector Elmer Francisco Sarmiento gave a speech. Here it is in its entirety. Vice Admiral Eduardo Santos, president and board chairman of The Maritime League; Admiral Artemio Abu,…


No Picture

Maritime Legislation

According to Atty Brenda Pimentel:         “It is unfortunate that in this archipelago, there is no overarching policy direction that binds into a cohesive maritime aspiration. The fisheries sector, maritime transport industry, coastal tourism, recreational sector, marine environment protection and many more ocean-based activities are undertaken almost exclusively by each other, although at times it is submitted, collaboration is initiated….


MARINA Leads Philippine Delegation to IMO HTW 9 Meeting in London

The Philippine delegation, headed by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), participated in the 9th Session of the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training, and Watchkeeping (HTW) held on 06 to 10 February 2023 at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters, London, United Kingdom. The HTW deals with the human side of shipping, including training and certification, review and revision of IMO…



PHL Conveys Accomplishments under a Marine Environment project

As the Marine Environment Protection of the Southeast Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) Project will mark its end in December 2022, the Philippines, as one of the Lead Partnering Countries (LPCs), shared its accomplishments from the said project during the Third High-Level Regional Meeting on MEPSEAS held on 25 to 27 October 2022 at Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam. The Philippine delegation…


Maritime League Meets the New Marina Chief

To discuss areas of collaboration, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Administrator Atty. Hernani N. Fabia met with the Maritime League on Friday, 19-August-2022. The Maritime League, led by its President and Chairman, Vice Admiral Eduardo Ma R Santos AFP (Ret), together with their other officials, paid a courtesy call to the Administrator and extended their congratulations to him for his appointment…


MARINA Bags ‘Best Performing Agency’ In ARTA’s RIA Manual Training

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), along with several government agencies in the country, received recognition from the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) for consistently earning top scores in the Pre and Post Diagnostic Tests during the three-month-long Phase II: Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) Manual Training held from April to July 2022. The MARINA team, consisting of heads of offices who are…


MARINA celebrates 48th Year – Charts New Course Through Innovation and Transformation

        “In the past year, the MARINA was outstanding in giving service to the Filipino people. Our team, charting a new course through innovation and transformation, exemplify what MARINA has become over the past year, or even the past two years.” That’s what the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Administrator Vice Admiral Robert A Empedrad AFP (Ret) said during the agency’s…


Ship Operators Benefitted from Workshops Conducted by the OTS

Ship operators in Cebu benefitted from the recently conducted Ship Security Assessment (SSA) and Ship Security Plan (SSP) Development Workshops by the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) at the Port of Cebu from June 08 to 10, 2022. The said workshops were free-of-charge. After a series of virtual meetings and roundtable discussions with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Maritime Industry…


Some Observations on Philippine Maritime Education

The pandemic was really a disruptive game-changer. Even before the pandemic sent home most of our seafarers in 2020; their number has been dwindling the years prior. From close to 470,000 in 2019 it dropped 54% in 2020 to about 217,000. Deployment in 2018 dropped by more than 100,000. While the number of Philippine seafarers is dwindling, the number of…


After 45 years, a Philippine shipping line goes international!

We can all use a bit of good news at this time. First, some context. Since the pandemic started, there has been a scarcity of cargo container vans and international shipping lines calling on Philippine ports. This has caused our exporters to default on their delivery schedules. The default, in turn, caused their customers to withhold payments triggering cashflow problems…


MARINA Launches its Training Institute in Bacolod City

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), through a virtual soft launching, has announced on Thursday the opening of the MARINA Training Institute (MarTI) located in the four-story MARINA Regional Office – Western Visayas building situated inside the Panaad Park in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City. The MarTI, as an academic arm of the MARINA, is envisioned to be the country’s Maritime Innovation…


Safety of Life at Sea

In my previous contributions to the Maritime Review, I highlighted the importance of an all-government approach to national security in updating a National Defense and Act. In my second contribution which was about Maritime Governance and administration, I highlighted the fragmentation of our various agencies and recommended amending the executive order that created the Coast Watch System, and updating the…


Dragging Anchor: Is More Always Better?

“The more we work together, the merrier we’ll be.” Or so the popular lullaby goes. However this does not ring true for the Philippine domestic ships with an overwhelmingly large number of cadets onboard. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Report conducted last year states, “The team found cases in which 11, 16 or even 37 deck cadets were onboard…


PPA’s 46 Years of Promoting Nation-Building Through integrity and dedicated public service in ports for every Filipino

The year 2020 was supposed to be a prosperous year for the entire world according to fortune-tellers. Everybody was upbeat. The business community, government economic leaders, and GOCCs like the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) were anticipating unprecedented opportunities ushered in by the new year and a new decade. And then, disaster struck. In the first quarter of the year alone,…


Aiding the Nation Against the COVID-19 Pandemic: We Heal as One with the Philippine Coast Guard

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…


MARINA To Intensify Modernization Of Domestic Ships

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) will intensify the modernization of domestic ships to provide safer, more convenient, and more comfortable sea transportation services to the riding public. As directed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, the MARINA will encourage more ship operators, particularly those engaged in short distance travel, to invest on fast crafts, and Roll-On…


Maritime Innovation In The Philippines

Without a doubt, the Maritime Industry in the Philippines is a vibrant cornerstone to the local economy and national workforce stability.  To some extent, on an international level as well. One doesn’t have to look very far to understand how innovation with efficiency of operation and an ongoing focus to being environmentally sensitive is paramount in maintaining a balance of…



PCG’s First Offshore Patrol Vessel Formally Launched in France

The Philippine Coast Guard’s first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) was formally launched in OCEA shipyard in France on July 17. PCG Commandant Admiral Elson E Hermogino, with the Deputy Chief of PCG Staff for Strategic Studies and Modernization, Captain Ferdinan B Picar, PCG Spokesperson Captain Armando A Balilo, and officials from Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)…


MARINA Pushes for Phasing-Out of Wooden-Hulled Ships

ILOILO CITY – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), together with partner government agencies and private stakeholders, visits boat operators and associations in Iloilo and Guimaras to discuss the modernization of the domestic shipping industry through an institutional mechanism workshop on the replacement of wooden-hulled passenger ships with technologically-improved hull materials. MARINA urges boat operators and associations, specifically in the Iloilo…


Ballast Water Management and The Importance of Proper Handling

During the 147th Maritime Forum, I had the opportunity to listen to a very informative presentation by MARINA Director Marc Anthony Pascua regarding Ballast Water Management. The presentation outlined its importance with regard to international transportation of Invasive Aquatic Organisms through commercial shipping. This presentation prompted me to further explore the issue, and write this article. With the introduction of…