“Great Powers, Grand Strategies: The New Game in the South China Sea,” edited by Anders Corr (U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2018), is a good read because it puts the South China Sea conflict into a global strategic context. In so doing, it looks at the movements of China well within the EEZ of Philippine coasts, a topic dear to my heart,…
As part of modernization, the Philippine Navy procured five new helicopters manufactured by Italy’s Agusta Westland to replace the ageing helicopters in its inventory. Three of these aircrafts that are in multi-role configuration were delivered in 2013 while the other two in armed-configuration came in 2015. These helicopters gave the Philippine Navy a great leap in terms of capabilities and…
On 15-March-2018, Navy Commander Alex Gianan, the last skipper of BRP Rajah Humabon, ordered his chief quartermaster to haul down the ship’s Commission Pennant to formally conclude her 38-year service in the Philippine Navy (PN). Philippine Fleet Commander RAdm Danilo Rodelas presided the Decommissioning Ceremony with Offshore Combat Force Commander Captain Caesar Bernard Valencia, Fleet senior officers, and 10 former…
Wärtsilä, a global technology group headquartered in Finland, announced on March 19 that it had acquired Transas, an innovative digital solutions provider headquartered in the UK. This acquisition is a recognition of Transas’ strong position in the maritime technologies market and its technological leadership. The transaction will allow Transas to work within a global maritime company in delivering its solutions,…
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are the future. They’re where the maritime industry is heading and more and more companies are already beginning to embrace the opportunities they bring to improve safety, reduce costs, speed up processes and collect more accurate data. UAS have particularly huge potential when it comes to inspections, surveys and maintenance. As well as eliminating the need…
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) has received an order from Armscor – the acquisition agency for the South African Department of Defence – for three Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV), with dimensions of 62 x 11 meters. The vessels form part of the South African Navy’s Project Biro. The project aims to develop South Africa’s maritime security, ensuring that the country…
The De Beers Group has confirmed that construction of the world’s largest diamond mining vessel has commenced. Local media outlet, New Era, highlighting the announcement, said the vessel would be used exclusively for operations off Namibia’s coast when it commences operation in 2021. Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between the government of Namibia and De Beers, first announced a feasibility…
A new 36m long passenger ferry, Ocean Dragon 1, has began its maiden voyage, transiting from Bantam (Indonesia) to Johor Bahru (Malaysia), and vice versa. This is a friendly collaboration between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments in creating this new route to shorten the travelling time to 1 hour and 15 minutes between the two countries. Normally, passengers would have…
How can ports cut emissions to ensure cleaner air and contribute to the battle against climate change? First, ports need to quantify emissions in ports, and they need to identify measures to cost-effectively reduce port-related emissions. A strategic partnership between the IMO-executed GloMEEP energy efficiency project and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is helping selected countries to…
Scientific Family. The Giant Clams belong to the genus Tridacna (Bruguière 1797), of which Tridacna gigas is the largest living immobile bivalve mollusk in the world. The Giant Clam is known as “Taklobo” in the Philippines. They live in the shallow coral reefs of the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea, Sulo Sea, Red Sea, but mainly in the Indian…
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”…
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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….