China is building militarized islands in the South China Sea and ignoring international law, including in Philippine territory. Experts think China plans to build a new base on strategic Scarborough Shoal. That calls for economic sanctions, and triggering of the U.S.-Philippine defense treaty. On Monday (10-April-2017), Reuters reported China Coast Guard and industrial fishing ship operations at Scarborough Shoal, the…
The United Nations Charter outlaws the use or threat of force to settle disputes between states. In the West Philippine Sea dispute, an arbitral tribunal created under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a party, has already ruled with finality that the Reed Bank is within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)…
Since becoming a nation 119 years ago, Filipinos have strived to live in freedom, an atmosphere of enduring peace and sustainable development towards a better and brighter future for us and our offspring. This brighter future is to be shared by generations of Filipinos – living and dead – who fought for freedom, dignity and prosperity, and also by us,…
The Philippine Register of Shipping (PRS) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) last 26-September-2016 with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers, Inc. (SONAME) to further support MARINA in its capacity-building for the full implementation of this important MARINA Circular 2015-08 on Rules and Regulations on Subdivision and Damage Stability Requirements. In this…
Shipping should expect a quantum leap in technology adoption over the next 10 years as ships are built with more automation and IT systems. Anglo Eastern Group’s Capt Pradeep Chawla said shipowners should be training seafarers to use the technology now. He is managing director for quality, health, safety, training and the environment at the ship-management group. Capt Chawla said…
INMARSAT is working with the Blue Maritime Cluster to formulate how digital disruption will transform the traditional shipping industry and open up new opportunities for ship owners, marine technology companies and others in the network for innovation. Based in Norway’s Møre region, the Blue Maritime Cluster is recognized by government as a global centre of expertise. Many of its marine…
In previous articles, we have discussed general applications of information technology in the maritime industry. We had an overview of technologies that are being used in modern ships. In this article, we will explore a new and evolving technological trend that is making an impact not just in the home and the workplace, but also in the logistics and shipping…
INTRODUCTION Ship acquisition program is a very sensitive issue, thus the choice of a proven design warship tops the list. The cost of Frigate acquisition is very prohibitive that it requires a careful evaluation and analysis of the Ship Systems Work Breakdown Structures (SSWBS), an itemized cost distribution of various components of the ship versus the desired requirements and capability…
Dear Editor, I am submitting this unique idea that can be considered under the subject of “Concept of extraterritoriality.“ —Atty. Fernando C. Campos Extraterritoriality is a concept similar to the 2 Separate Administrative Regions of China —the MAINLAND and HONGKONG. It is a unilateral declaration of CHINA as a sovereign State and was accepted by GREAT BRITAIN as a co-equal…
115th MARITIME FORUM MF 115 was hosted by the PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD (PCG), held at the PCG Building, Port Area, Manila on 30-September-2016. Commo CARLOS L. AGUSTIN (Ret), FORUM CHAIR thanked the host RADM WILLIAM MELAD, CPCG, and acknowledged HON FELIPE JUDAN, USEC DOTr for Maritime Affairs, as well as the other agency heads present in the Forum. RADM WILLIAM…
On board the government’s multi-mission research vessel, M/V DA-BFAR, fisherfolk and officials from the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) sailed to Philippine Rise on 06-May-2017 and deployed fish aggregating devices, commonly called payao, to stir up more fishing in the region. A traditional Philippine payao is a simple bamboo raft with a superstructure at…
Prior to June 2017, there were two species classified as genus Manta: Birostris and Alfredi. According to Marine Wildlife Philippines, the new taxonomy now classifies them as genus Mobula (White et al, 2017) as Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi. Both mobula ray species are found in the Philippines, and are closely related to sharks, skates, and other rays. Collectively, they…
Seafarers are the lifeblood of the shipping industry and are critical to its future sustainability. That said, are we doing enough to ensure the welfare of those at sea? Furthermore, could major improvements to crew welfare save the shipping industry millions of dollars per year? Is crew welfare key to a safe voyage? A seafarer’s state of wellbeing can make…
We join the Philippine Navy in celebrating its 119th Founding Anniversary in May this year and convey our warmest congratulations for being an active partner in the maritime community and an instrument of peace, progress and stability. With its well-conceived plan of governance but still faced with inadequate resources we are tempted to ask the question: Is it on track…
During the 120th Maritime Forum held at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific where we were once again awed by the progress and development of that excellent institution founded by AMOSUP Chairman Capt Greg Oca and nurtured by its President, VADM Eduardo Ma R Santos, I asked the Forum to remember former Senator Leticia R Shahani, likewise an…
Dear Editor, May I share with you my op-ed that appeared in BusinessWorld. It is about building credible deterrence to bring up our country to a state of readiness like all other self-respecting states that zealously protect their people and resources from a world fraught with risks and threats. —Rafael Alunan III The Philippines is like an extremely rich bank…
With the disputes concerning the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea and recently, the issues surrounding Benham Rise, we see how the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC)1 affects the maritime entitlements of the Philippines. It is indeed imperative for the Philippine state, a maritime nation, to…
PART I “DUTERTE: ‘MINING FIRMS FUNDING DESTABILIZATION PLOT.’ President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday accused some mining firms of financing what he called a ‘destabilization’ plot against his Administration.” Manila Times, 14-March-2017 During a presscon in Malacañang with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on 13-March-2017, President Rody Duterte said mining firms were funding the political opposition…
The Southeast Asian region is situated in a unique strategic environment that is shaped by the Pacific maritime domain. It is home to maritime nations sitting astride vital sea lines of communication and trade in the Asia-Pacific, with vast water resources and minerals, and oil and gas reserves. Shipping traffic through Southeast Asia is several times greater than the traffic…
Martek Marine (Martek) has been awarded a ground breaking 2-year Remotely Piloted Aircraft Services (RPAS) contract from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The services offered will fulfil part of the world’s largest ever maritime drone contract. Part of a five-year EMSA strategy of improving coast guard monitoring and surveillance of maritime activity valued at EUR 67 million, the service…
With investment into new, multi-role naval vessels and submarines increasing worldwide, and projections on the Blue Economy suggesting its worth at $2.4 trillion per year, now is an opportune moment to reflect on the utility of Oceanographic Survey Vessels (OSV) and other surveying capabilities. Ahead of this year’s OSV Conference on 21-22 June in London, UK, the Defence IQ undertook…
The Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) flagship operation and the Philippines’ largest, most technologically advanced container terminal, capped 2016 with a milestone as it reached its first year-to-date two millionth TEU move last December. Nominated among the world’s top container terminals for several years, the MICT has an annual capacity of 2.75 million twenty-foot…
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is revisiting in 2017 its Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) Port System in order to maintain its viability to the trade and tourism sector, more than a decade after its inception. It is also a response of the agency to the call from the private sector, specifically Ro-Ro operators, to improve the facilities amid their initiatives…
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), in partnership with the Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently launched the development of the country’s first container roll-on roll-off barge terminal in Tanza, Cavite. To be built on a six-hectare property, the soon-to-be Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) will facilitate off-the-road seaborn transport of containers between ICTSI’s Manila International Container Terminal and Cavite. The…
With the August deadline looming for ship owners to have Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) installed on their vessels, this two-part article takes a brief look at why ECDIS was brought in, the key regulations behind it, the latest trends in ECDIS technology and what the future might hold for ECDIS innovation. Part I. Regulations behind ECDIS Born…