February 2021



Sustaining Power Availability

As assistant naval staff for plans (N5) in 1999, I had an opportunity to visit the construction site of the concrete gravity structure (CGS) of the Malampaya gas-to-power project in Subic bay area. The then Captain Constancio Jardiniano, later rear admiral and former N5, personally piloted the navy helicopter that brought us there. In our earlier discussions, we both considered…


DFA repatriates over 327,000 Filipinos in 2020

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) today reported that its repatriation efforts in 2020 brought home a total of 327,511 overseas Filipinos. DFA said land-based repatriates make up 231,537 or 70.7% of the total numbers, coming from at least 90 countries around the world. The remaining 29.3% or 95,974 are seafarers from more than 150 cruise ships, oil tankers, and…


Book Review on Farwell’s Rules of the Nautical Road

The Preface indicates that the book was first published as The Rules of the Nautical Road by the late Captain Raymond F. Farwell of the U.S. Naval Reserve and professor of transportation at the University of Washington. After its first publication in 1941, many statutory and regulatory changes have been made, including the international side. These necessitated the revision of…


Action Plan for Urban Security Against Terrorism

Prevailing Conditions The need to strengthen urban areas has been considered among the most vital considerations in securing the country from terrorism, crime and violence. This is to underscore the fact that urban areas are the centers of the political and economic activities wherein the legitimacy of the country’ s existence  and the ability to perform the mandate of governance…


Ships Risk Detention Over Cybersecurity

Ships that fail to comply with cybersecurity code of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) may face detention from 1-January-2021. This comes as the IMO identified the management of cybersecurity as a key aspect of safety as technology becomes essential in ship operations. The group has identified cybersecurity as a major risk to be addressed in safety management systems. The handling…


Digitalizing the Maritime Sector Set to Boost Competitiveness and Resilience of Global Trade

Joint report by the World Bank and IAPH to assist ports and maritime transport community accelerate digitalization and minimize ship-shore human interaction and COVID-19 risks. WASHINGTON, January 21, 2021—A new report was launched by the World Bank and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) shows that better digital collaboration between private and public entities across the maritime supply…


77% of Shipping Businesses used Charter Flights for Crew Changes

Over 90% of shipping businesses are re-thinking how crew changes are managed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research carried out by travel management company, ATPI Marine & Energy. Representatives from over 30 different shipping businesses around the world took part in the research, the results of which were unveiled this week and show the impact…


Ship Repair and Retrofit Goes Digital

Vessel maintenance specialist, Newport Shipping, has unveiled a first of kind, innovative online portal that has been specifically designed to ease the complexities of ship repair and retrofit works. Digitalization is making its mark in the shipping sector, with many bespoke online tools now being utilized daily to operate and manage the world’s merchant vessel fleet. Arguably however, the ship…



Global Floating Wind Energy Market to Record a 2000-fold Increase by 2050

A new report forecasts that with the right drivers in place, the installed capacity of floating wind energy will grow from the existing 100 MW to 250 GW in 2050 – a 2000-fold increase.  The study from risk management and quality assurance company DNV GL states that because floating wind energy is unrestrained by ocean depth, “it will be an…


Interorient Shipmanagement invests in Ɛ-ORB Software Fleet-wide

Interorient Shipmanagement has decided to transition from traditional paper Oil Record Books (ORB) to using paperless, electronic ORBs through ɛ-ORB, which is a MARPOL electronic oil record book, and a Prevention at Sea software application. The decision to implement electronic recording on the entire Interorient fleet was taken to support the broader goal of more effective ship operations and to achieve…


Hydrogen – Energy of the Future

SUMMARY. Hydrogen is one element receiving significant attention. As an energy source, hydrogen has long been considered a possible sustainable energy in the future. But it cannot be viewed in isolation, since it is both in competition and interdependent with other energies, and the technologies that use them. The question is whether hydrogen can be an important energy carrier of…


Methanol as Marine Fuel

Very large fuel tankers run on heavy fuel oil (HFO) mainly because of its low price but HFO emits a  substantial amount of greenhouse gas (GHG). Cleaner ways of reducing emissions include shifting to alternative fuels like LNG, biogas, methanol, wind, hybrid-electric, fully electric, fuel cells, or by lowering speed. The Paris Agreement and agreements within the IMO mandate that…


New Poll: Majority of Americans Would Change Where They Shop to Support Cleaner Ships

A new poll conducted for Pacific Environment by Yale University, George Mason University, and Climate Nexus finds that nearly three-quarters (74%) of American voters would be more likely to shop at companies that use cleaner ways to ship their goods. The poll finds that 70% of American voters would continue to shop at these brands even if using clean ships…


Retrofit Highlights use of LPG as a Marine Fuel

The world’s first LPG-fuelled vessel has set sail. Powered with Wärtsilä’s customized and reliable Fuel Supply System, the vessel represents a major breakthrough in the search for new ways to reduce marine emissions. BW LPG, the world’s largest owner and operator of very large liquified petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, is approaching a major milestone in the retrofit of a number…


Radioactivity in Waters around the Philippines

Recently a friend asked me if I had heard any news regarding elevated levels of radioactivity in the waters surrounding the Philippine Islands. I admit I had not, but would check into it. According to Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) radioactive material was indeed found in existing coral and waters in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). PNRI Director Carlo Arcilla…


Wave System at work on Dolomite Sand Pebbles Beachfront along Manila Bay

INTRODUCTION This article is a part II of my previous publication, “Wave Dynamics Retain Dolomite Sand Pebbles Intact at the Beachfront along Manila Bay,” in the Maritime Review’s Nov–Dec  2020 issue. In addition to that previous article, this topic presents the real time wave system along Roxas Blvd., Manila Bay, explaining my analogy by illustration and definition, the physical behavior…


Nine IUU Fishing Vessels Nabbed in Mauban, Quezon

Nine (9) commercial fishing vessels using Danish Seine, locally known as buli-buli or hulbo-bulbot, were apprehended by fisheries law enforcers of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and other agencies in the river of Barangay Tapucan in Mauban, Quezon before the year 2020 capped off. In the morning of 31-December-2020, the commercial fishing vessels…