Maritime Review (January – February 2023 Issue)
(Click the cover to download the PDF version of the magazine.)
January 2023
DEFENDING OUR PATRIMONY :The need to Reshape the AFP’s Operational Plan
The 2023 budget deliberations and recent legislative hearings once more brought to the fore their observation about our present inability to confront intrusions into the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Rise. One senator urged “the government to expedite the buildup of defense forces in the WPS.” Another congressman was advocating to stress lethality in the development of this force….
Seafarer Support Services and Partnership Working are Vital for Maritime Industry’s Future
As the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) reports a high demand for its helpline services over the last year, it is clear that accessible welfare and support services for seafarers worldwide remain a priority for the maritime industry. In its newly released annual review covering 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022, ISWAN reports that the total number…
PHILIPPINES HOSTS ASEAN MARITIME FORA IN MANILA
MAKATI CITY 07-December 2022 – The Philippines hosted the 12th ASEAN Maritime Forum and the 10th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum in Manila on 06 and 07 December 2022, gathering participants from ASEAN and its partners in a two-day discussion on a wide range of maritime issues. Established in 2010, the AMF is a venue for dialogue on a wide range of maritime…
Philippine-U.S. and Philippine-Australian Exercises Combine: Sama Sama-Lumbas
Military personnel from the Philippines, United States, Australia, France, Japan, and United Kingdom kicked off exercise Sama Sama-Lumbas in Cebu, Philippines on 11-October-2022. Sama Sama is an annual bilateral navy-to-navy exercise between the Philippine Navy (PN) and the U.S. Navy (USN), while Lumbas is a yearly bilateral navy-to-navy exercise between PN and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This is the…
New Report Demonstrates how Maritime Industry Challenges are met most effectively through Connectivity
A new report compiled by maritime innovation consultancy, Thetius, makes a compelling case that shipping companies seeking to meet current and emerging challenges facing the maritime industry will benefit from a strategic approach to connectivity. Published by Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, ‘The Network Effect: Strategizing Connectivity at Sea for Maximum Impact’ also provides guidance on…
Need for Maritime Security Oversight on Violations by Mercenaries and Private Military
NEW YORK (1-November-2022) –A growing reliance on private contractors to protect vessels, commercial shipping, offshore platforms, ports, and other maritime infrastructure has exposed human rights violations perpetrated by mercenaries and private military and security companies, UN experts said. A report presented to the General Assembly by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries explores how the maritime security sector has evolved…
France’s First Commercial Offshore Wind Farm in Full Operation
France’s Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm had been under construction for about 10 years. The wind farm is located off the coast of Brittany in north-western France consists of 80 units of 6 megawatts (MW) Wind Turbine Generators. The first offshore wind turbine was installed in April and the wind farm delivered its first power to the French national grid in June 2022. More nacelles continued to…
Naval Forces Central Leads the Recovery of Endangered Marine Species in Tabogon, Cebu
Headquarters, Naval Forces Central (HNFC), Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan, Cebu, 16-December-2022 – The Philippine Navy through Naval Forces Central Lead the recovery and confiscation of marine species (Tridacna) locally known as “Taklobo” in Tabogon, Cebu on 15-December-2022. The said joint and inter-agency operations were composed of the operatives and elements from Naval Forces Central, Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), Tabogon Municipal…
BIMCO Launches Campaign to Call For Removal of Single-Use Plastics
BIMCO has launched a campaign to raise awareness and help support removal of single-use plastic bottles from ships. Today, even if plastics on board ships are sorted, managed, and discharged to shore in a proper way, mismanagement of waste on land means it can still reach the ocean. With up to 1.75 billion plastic bottles a year being used on…
Oceana Urges U.S. to Approve NOAA’s Proposed Vessel Speed Rules
Oceana urges President Biden to expediently approve the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration’s (NOAA) proposed vessel speed rule to protect critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. Oceana delivered about 20,000 petition signatures and a letter calling for the government to enact new safeguards for these whales. With the extinction of the species on the line, concerned citizens from all 50 states, Washington D.C.,…
Getting to Know the New Coast Guard Commandant ADM Artemio M Abu
Much has been written about this honorable and patriotic man. He is known as the man who is making the PCG radiate. “R.A.D.I.A.T.E.S.” as an acronym for Responsible, Accountable, Disciplined, Inspired, Able, Team-spirited, Servant leaders, which he always reminds to the men and women of PCG, for them not to forget to pursue professional excellence, have commitment to public service,…
A Brief History of the Philippine Navy Seals From the Underwater Operations Team to the Naval Special Operations Command
THE BEGINNINGS Formerly known as the Underwater Operations Team or UOT as the present day Philippine Navy Seals were then known, the unit was conceived by then LT Ramon N Baluyot PN while in operations with the Philippine Marines in the Sulu Sea Frontier against dissidents and combating piracy which was prevalent in the area during those times. ACTIVATION AND…
Three Rounds of Coercion in Philippine Waters in 2022
In three separate incidents in the months of March and April, Chinese law enforcement vessels have challenged marine research and hydrocarbon exploration activities within the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Round One: China Squares off with Taiwan and Philippines over Marine Research The Legend, a research vessel belonging to the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute under the Ministry…
A Frigate’s Life Cycle Cost, Midlife Refit, and Integrated Logistics Support System
INTRODUCTION A Navy ship is a National Defense Security Investment. It is always out of sight to those who truly understand operation and maintenance. It is a hidden cost in the Integrated Logistics Support System (ILSS) and midlife refit. It is now time to start caring, saving money, and extending the useful life of a naval surface vessel and are…
Our Maritime Industry and Seafarers’ Education, Training, and Safety
I have been writing for the Maritime Review since the first quarter issue of 2021, but it is only lately that I attended a zoom meeting of the esteemed Maritime League. I attended the forum co-hosted with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). Let me say that because I attended a Maritime Forum for the first time, my apprehensions of being…
Book Review: INNOVATING VICTORY: Naval Technology in Three Wars
INTRODUCTION The word technology is a compound of two Greek roots, tekhne for craft, and logia for learning. Technology then is the practical application of knowledge expressed through the use of a crafted device. This book focuses on 6 technologies in 3 broad categories: Weapon, Tool, and Platform. A weapon is to damage a target; a tool is to assist…