Our seashores are drenched with discarded plastics, particularly plastic bags and water bottles. What is astonishing to know is that this very same debris often washed ashore could be found in our deep waters as well. Deep-sea mammals such as whales, for instance, digest this debris, which is often the cause of finding them washed ashore lifeless. Floating plastic bags…
In celebration of the 68 years of Naval Architecture in the Philippines and a decade since the inception of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Inc. (SONAME) and 29th Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Register of Shipping (PRS) and with the success of last year’s tournament, SONAME and PRS held its Second Joint tournament under “SONAME-PRS GOLF CUP”…
In the recent Maritime Forum in Cebu, the Visayan Association of Ferryboat and Coastwise Shipping Operators (VAFCSO) presented some challenges that affect the sea transport industry in Central Philippines. Among these are: too many, irrelevant and anti-poor domestic shipping regulations; numerous government regulators; and shortage of licensed and competent seafarers. Regulations are designed to ensure safety of life and property…
Having been an enthusiastic follower of environmental issues (In fact we placed it on the Agenda of the NDCP Strategic Studies Group in 2002-2010), I have gone from naysayer to believer back to naysayer, then to a pragmatist, which certainly is a dynamic one. The reality for me today is that certainly the problem exists, as I have seen in…
“It would be ‘dumb’ of the Philippines to allow China to explore Philippine Rise despite Beijing’s disrespect for a U.N.-backed arbitral court ruling recognizing Manila’s sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.” – Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 15-January-2018) “Benham, or Philippine Rise, is part of our EEZ and the exploitation of its resources is…
The influx of contemporaneous challenges in the maritime arena is sending a strong signal that modern day students must be accorded the best of maritime education and training especially when it comes to building the very foundation of their future. And if one chooses the path of becoming a maritime professional, the matter of deciding where to jumpstart his career…
Progress is evident in the city and province of Iloilo. The city teems with both private vehicles and public modes of transportation. The province is dotted with beautiful homes and commercial edifices. The place has become a destination for middle class leisure. This economy boost is attributed to the belief that in the city and province of Iloilo, there is…
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — Just days before the 76th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, marine researchers have found and explored the undersea wreckage of the U.S. ship that was the first to fire upon a Japanese vessel that day. On 01-Dec-2017, the crew of the research vessel Petrel sent an underwater drone 650 feet below to explore…
Part I Introduction: Laying the foundation for ocean governance in the South China Sea maritime region, defining the concern relating to the coastal and marine environment, and prescribing the ocean governance approach. On the occasion of the 20th ASEAN-China Summit on 13-November-2017, the Heads of States/Governments of ASEAN Member States and the People’s Republic of China proclaimed 2017-2027 a decade…
“An enemy of my enemy is a friend.” –An Arab Saying “There are no eternal friends, nor permanent enemies, only eternal and permanent interests.” –Lord Palmerston Last September 2017, two heads of states — President of the United States Donald Trump and President of North Korea Kim Jong-un hurled invectives at each other and issued statements threatening to launch an…
On 19-December-2017 in Southampton UK, Laurence Dagley, Director, CEMEX UK Marine Limited signed a contract with Frank de Lange, Regional Sales Director of the Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of the first Damen Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD). The vessel, which will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, is designed to extract sand and gravel from the seabed…
The Filipino seafarers working onboard the Bahamas-registered Flag-of-Convenience (FOC) vessel Diana, owned by Canadian Shipping Lines (CSL) Australia, are underpaid, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said. The union informed on Tuesday that it had inspected the Handy bulk carrier in Melbourne having received a tip-off. The Filipino seafarers are effectively operating full time on the Australian coast, according to…
IMO has issued a new warning that bauxite may become unstable when carried in bulk on a ship, potentially causing the vessel to capsize. Bauxite is one of the world’s major sources of aluminum with around 100 million tons (MT) transported annually by sea. In 2015, a bulk carrier sank while transporting bauxite, with the loss of 18 seafarers. Research…
Transas has launched its first package of applications built on THESIS, a unified cloud-based platform for managing operations across the full breadth of the maritime ecosystem. The A-Suite package sets a new precedent by utilizing the latest in machine learning techniques to reduce the potential for human errors on the bridge or poor decisions elsewhere in the vessel operational chain….
UAS advancements are increasingly impacting our everyday lives, from agriculture and filmmaking to security and communications down to the products we have delivered. Its advances present major changes for the future of the maritime industry. As disruptive as the smartphone has been to the world, the use of drones will revolutionize the landscape of ship operations for years to come….
INTRODUCTION The Philippine National Defense Department has signed a contract with Hyundai of South Korea for the construction of two units of the Incheon Class Frigate last 24-October-2016 at the cost of US$337M to modernize the capability of the Philippine Navy’s surface combatants. This article is a guide to craft the circular of requirements for the Frigate in order to…
Austal Limited announced that long-standing client and French Polynesia’s leading commercial ferry operator, SNC Aremiti (part of the Groupe Degage), has awarded a AU$30 million contract to Austal to design and build a new 49-meter high-speed passenger catamaran ferry. This will be the 5th vessel Austal has delivered to French Polynesia since 2002. Austal has previously designed, and built 4…
A large number of abandoned or no-longer usable fiberglass vessels – including fishing vessels and leisure craft – are dumped at sea each year, possibly due to a lack of land-based disposal facilities. This was a concern raised by Pacific delegations to the Parties to the treaties, which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea. However, full data on the…
In 2017, the Port of Barcelona recorded its best results yet in the main traffic indicators, figures that allowed it to take a quantum leap to become the fastest-growing European port. Total traffic (including all cargo modes) surpassed 61 million tons for the first time, recording a year-on-year increase of 26%. This result contributed significantly to the excellent behavior of…
Beaches around the world are disappearing. Riverbanks are getting wider and deeper, as large sections of riverbanks collapse. Most people would not know about this because sand mining is an invisible problem until it’s too late. Sand is used mainly to make cement for construction projects. Yet after decades of continuous hauling and dredging, the negative impacts have become too…
Many security challenges beset the nation as it welcomes 2018. At the domestic front, the continuing violent activities of the terrorists and other lawless armed groups in Mindanao and Sulu Sea necessitate extension of martial rule and increased deployment of security forces. Apart from armed conflict the detrimental effects of ecological imbalance brought about and expected to induce calamities and…
Coron is a beautiful protected island on the southeast coast of Busuanga. But when we speak of Coron, we usually refer to the town called Coron across the island, which is located on Busuanga Island itself. That area has become a tourist destination. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s just before the declaration of Martial Law, I spent much…
Part I “Terrorism Dominates ASEAN Talks: World Leaders Expressed Concern About Extremist Attacks — Duterte…” — Manila Bulletin headline, 16 November 2017 “By all indications and in many respects, the Philippine chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), capped by this week’s 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, was an unqualified success. The agreements reached — on the…
For the first time in its history, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) has conducted a large-scale study asking exhibitors and visitors of the leading global trade fair for the maritime industry to give their assessment of the sector’s economic and technological development. The SMM Maritime Industry Report (SMM MIR) shows that the industry is looking to the future with…
After the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit decision in November 2017 to go, finally, for a Code of Conduct involving the 10 ASEAN member-nations and their Dialogue Partners, particularly the People’s Republic of China, the value of FVR’s strategic decision made 25 years ago to pursue the separation of the Philippine Coast Guard – from being one of the operating units of…