As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Damen Shipyards Group is having solar panels installed at a number of its Dutch yards. Collectively, the installations will provide approximately 11 MWh clean electricity per year. Damen Project manager, Gerard Kornet explains, “At Damen, we always take a long-term view. It’s part of our culture as a family company. We want…
Seabourn, the world’s finest ultra-luxury cruise line, is preparing to take travelers into the depths of the ocean for the first time by revealing the design and details for its custom submarines that will operate excursions for an additional charge from the line’s two upcoming ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ships. Both Seabourn Venture and her yet-to-be-named sister ship will sail to…
INTRODUCTION This article was derived from the World Meteorological Organization Wave Statistics on various sea areas within Philippine Maritime Jurisdiction. It provides information on prevailing sea state conditions that can serve as valuable tools of information for naval operation of surface ships and submarines. Philippine Sea Areas of Responsibility Wave Environment The Philippines lies on the boundary between “Global Wave…
ILOILO CITY – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), together with partner government agencies and private stakeholders, visits boat operators and associations in Iloilo and Guimaras to discuss the modernization of the domestic shipping industry through an institutional mechanism workshop on the replacement of wooden-hulled passenger ships with technologically-improved hull materials. MARINA urges boat operators and associations, specifically in the Iloilo…
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) recently took delivery of another new quay crane and eight new hybrid rubber tired gantries (RTGs) for its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). The terminal now has the largest fleet of modern container-handling equipment in the Philippines with 18 quay cranes and 58 RTGs. Manufactured by ZPMC, the quay crane is part of…
The Port of New York and New Jersey is looking to develop a marine terminal focused on serving the region’s growing offshore wind energy sector, freshly boosted last month when New Jersey gave the green light to the state’s first offshore wind project. A wind energy terminal was one of two suggested uses when the Port Authority of New York…
On 15-Jul-2019, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) inaugurated the Philippines’s biggest seaport Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) in the Port of Cagayan de Oro, Barangay Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City. “The construction of this brand new building will greatly strengthen the region as the global gateway to Mindanao. Once we inaugurate this on July 15, we are opening Cagayan De Oro…
The Philippine Port Authority (PPA) Port Management Office of Agusan (PMO-AGS) was formerly called Port Management Unit (PMU) Masao. Later, PMU-Masao was renamed PMO-Nasipit, which covered Baseport Nasipit, and two government ports: Terminal Management Offices (TMO) Butuan and Masao. HISTORY. The recorded history of Nasipit, which is a natural cove, can be traced to as early as 1880 when it…
Once again the tropical forests of the world are in the news. This time, the forests of the Amazon Basin are experiencing uncontrolled wild fires destroying thousands of hectares of forest that are hundreds or thousands of years old. Considering the technical abilities available on a global level, I ask: How could this happen? What is the cause? And what…
The Pacific Ocean is the scene of a new Wild West. Companies and their investors, hungry for profits, are driving a speculative rush for seabed minerals. Donor government-supported programs that promote the development of ‘responsible’ seabed mining regulations provide aid. THE PERILS OF DEEP SEA MINING. Deep Sea Mining (DSM) is as yet an unproven industry hoping to extract minerals…
Liguasan Marsh, located in Southern Mindanao, is the largest Marsh wetland in the Philippines, covering over 220,000 hectares, spread across the provinces of Maguindanao, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. It is a conglomeration of three marshes: Liguasan Marsh proper, Libungan Marsh, and the Ebpanan Marsh. A marsh is a tract of soft wetland characterised by grasses and cattails (Monocotyledons), which are…
During the 147th Maritime Forum, I had the opportunity to listen to a very informative presentation by MARINA Director Marc Anthony Pascua regarding Ballast Water Management. The presentation outlined its importance with regard to international transportation of Invasive Aquatic Organisms through commercial shipping. This presentation prompted me to further explore the issue, and write this article. With the introduction of…
The common chemicals used in thousands of products to protect us against harmful effects of ultraviolet light, threaten corals and other marine life. Healthy coral reefs are one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They provide billions of dollars in economic and environmental services, such as food, coastal protection, and tourism. However, coral ecosystems around the world face serious…
“Let us respect, honor and revere our Philippine Flag!” was President Fidel V Ramos’ concluding line in his Maritime Review article three years ago after he graced a few weeks earlier the 118th Anniversary of the Battle of Alapan that took place on 28-May-1898 in Imus, Cavite. After this victorious battle of Filipino revolutionary forces against Spanish troops, General Emilio…
The 2018 National Security Strategy of the United States revealed a change in posture, tacitly stated by Christopher Preble in his article “The Benefits of Engaging with China Far Outweigh the Costs and Risks” (30-January-2019) in The National Interest: The assumption that engagement with rivals and their inclusion in international institutions and global commerce would turn them into benign actors…
As part of the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) capability development program, newly acquired rescue boats, vehicles and other equipment were presented yesterday, 30-May-2019, to beef up the agency’s readiness for the expected threats of typhoons that may hit the country this year. During the blessing and launching ceremony at the PCG Headquarters yesterday, the PCG Commandant Admiral Elson E Hermogino,…
Columbia Ship-management has a vision for fully connected vessels with near real-time information exchange, strengthened processes, decision-making, and value creation for customers through end-to-end voyage optimization. Pankaj Sharma, Columbia Control Room manager of Columbia Ship-management believes that three aspects are critical to achieving this vision – implementing a scalable platform, ensuring the right people are working for you, and facilitating…
Seaspeak is the official language of navigators the world over. As the official language of the seas, Seaspeak helps to prevent any form of miscommunication. And since miscommunication can easily lead to serious and dangerous situations, seafarers use a specific language to prevent nay accidents from happening. Have you ever wondered how crews on ships at sea communicate? Nowadays, crews…
Not all the maritime zones of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) are automatically ascribed to a State. The LOSC provides, among others, the different maritime zones as we know them. Among these are the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Continental Shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is important to note – a…
Navigation by definition is the process or activity of accurately ascertaining one’s position and planning, and following a route. Also, navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft from one place to another. The past few years have recorded many global maritime incidents, collisions, groundings, and sinkings. The…
Recent events in the West Philippine Sea as well as other incidents involving shipping lanes, ferry crossings/sinkings, oil discharges into open water, and attacks on vessels, should have brought the attention of the global maritime industry. In monitoring the news, I see it has not. This spiked my curiosity as to why and what would happen if global sea lanes…
The University of Tasmania will lead the largest ever Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), bringing together expertise in seafood, renewable energy, and offshore engineering to transform Australia’s blue economy. The Blue Economy CRC aims to drive an evolution in marine-based industries, unlocking enormous economic, environmental and technological benefits. The $329 million research project is a 10-year collaboration between 45 national and…
A new app developed by a specialist demurrage analyst hopes to save the oil and tanker industry millions by simplifying the demurrage claims process. Digital Ship spoke with the creator of the app, Ms Leena Asher to find out more. In the oil and tanker industry, millions of dollars are being lost due to the rejection of demurrage claims as…
A mandatory requirement for national governments to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports came into effect on 8-April-2019. The aim is to make cross-border trade simpler and the logistics chain more efficient, for the more than 10 billion tons of goods which are traded by sea annually across the globe. The requirement, mandatory under IMO’s Convention on Facilitation…