Our ‘Seafarer Stories’ new column hosts seafarers’ views who present briefly the key challenges of life and work onboard, providing a picture of what a career at sea actually means. In this context, we are happy to host an interview with Yrhen Bernard S. Balinis, an ordinary seaman from Philippines, who inspire us with his story. Yrhen shares his life-changer…
The shipping industry is lagging behind other industrial sectors in the all-important field of cyber security. Ben Densham, Chief Technology Officer of Nettitude, the cyber security services provider of Lloyd’s Register, warns of a rising incidence in attacks, with ransomware and targeted cyber assaults both becoming more common. “As the pace of shipping’s digital transformation accelerates, the threat surface is…
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) lifted the three-month closed fishing season on round scad or galunggong in northeastern Palawan on 31-January-2021. This marks the 6th year since it was first implemented in 2015. The province of Palawan is a major supplier of galunggong in Metro Manila with an average of 95% of galunggong catch…
The promise of President Rodrigo Duterte to normalize the lives of Cagayan residents and those in nearby provinces after the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses was further realized as government agencies pooled resources to restore the Cagayan River. Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade joined Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu, Department of Public Works and…
Cleaning a ship’s submerged parts from barnacles and other growths, while the ship is in the water, can transfer invasive species to local marine environments unless it is properly cleaned and the debris is captured. To combat this problem, and to provide clarity and quality assurance to shipowners, ports and government authorities, BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)…
In 2019, everyone in shipping was waiting for 2020 and the introduction of the 2020 sulphur cap. 2020 came and in spite concerns that shipping would not be able to comply with the regulation, the majority of ships actually complies. New, green fuels, like LNG and hydrogen have sure helped, as well as scrubbers. However, the need for further decarbonization…
INTRODUCTION Submarine Warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare is no stranger to the world’s Second largest archipelago as its waters were witness to the various naval battles of the last Pacific War between Submarines of the United States Navy against that of Imperial Japan and/or the other way around with the former during the Battle of Palawan Passage in October 1944 with…
From the past to the present, in common naval parlance, the Flagship is usually where the Admiral has its Flag. Throughout time, the Flagship is also noted for its armaments, speed, and capability. Sometimes the Flagship is also the lead ship of a Navy’s particular class of vessel specifically if it is the most well-armed or the biggest in its…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
A new engine capable of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 85% by injecting and burning hydrogen has been launched by BeHydro, a joint venture between engine producer ABC and shipping firm CMB. Over the past three years BeHydro has developed, produced and extensively tested a dual-fuel (diesel-hydrogen) engine with a capacity of 1 MW. Based on this technology, larger…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…