Manila Bay News

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has given his government a week to process some 24,000 repatriated Filipino workers stuck for weeks on cruise ships or in coronavirus quarantine, so they can finally go home.Thousands are aboard cruise vessels off Manila Bay or stuck in hotels and crowded health facilities, some growing frustrated having tested negative for the coronavirus and completed the mandated 14-day quarantine.Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs, are breadwinners and a key support base of Duterte. Their more than $30 billion of annual remittances is a key driver of the Philippine economy, sustaining millions of family members.“The president said they can use all government resources and whatever means of transportation - bus…

In the past few weeks, Manila Bay in the Philippines has been transformed into the world’s biggest parking lot for cruise ships, none of which have any guests.More than 20 vessels collectively weighing about 2 million tonnes are clustered off the coast of the capital, awaiting coronavirus clearance for more than 5,300 Philippine staff to return home from abandoned cruises, with no guarantee of a job at sea again.More ships are set to join the flotilla, says the coast guard, which has been shuttling between ships to administer 4,991 virus tests for crew quarantined for the 14 days mandatory for repatriates. No suspected cases have been reported.Crew told Reuters they were bored…

A cruise ship at the heart of Australia’s biggest coronavirus cluster arrived off the Philippines on Thursday to repatriate more than 200 crew, leaving behind weeks of outrage and acrimony over why symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark.Just under a quarter of Australia’s 97 coronavirus deaths can be traced back to Carnival Corp’s Ruby Princess, which has been a flashpoint for anger in Australia and the focus of a criminal investigation after a spike in cases followed its March 19 arrival in Sydney.The 114,000-tonne, 19-deck ship reached Manila Bay on Thursday, joining a cluster of about a dozen other cruise ships that will be subjected to on-board testing for COVID-19 before any Filipino crew members can disembark.Reduced flights and travel bans due to the coronavirus…

Dutch dredging and heavylift company Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has received the Provisional Letter of Acceptance for the Design and Construction contract for the Pasay Reclamation Development Project in Manila Bay, Philippines in cooperation with CHEC from China.The award was made by the publicly listed company SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI), one of the largest property developers in Southeast Asia. The development will create a new commercial and residential area in a densely populated part of Manila. The project has an estimated value of approximately USD 720 million (EUR 650 million) of which Boskalis’ share amounts to approximately EUR 325 million.Peter Berdowski, Boskalis CEO said: “We are delighted with the award of this substantial contract from SMPHI.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line), one of the largest Japanese transportation companies, held the Award Ceremony for “K” Line Group Environmental Awards 2018 on June 5, 2018. According to a company press release, the awards were established to honor and give recognition to outstanding environmental-preservation-contributive activities addressed by executives and employees working throughout the “K” Line  Group pursuant to the direction developed in  “K” Line Environmental Vision 2050. This year, which marked the 4th time since establishment of the awards in 2015, we also accepted many entries from our group companies both in Japan and overseas.

The shipwreck remains of a historic U.S. Coast Guard cutter have been discovered off of Southern California 100 years after the vessel was lost at sea. In its heyday, the Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch – commissioned in 1897 as a cruising cutter for the U.S. Treasury’s Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor of the Coast Guard – saw its share of action, having served with Commodore George Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 as part of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron that destroyed the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first major battle of the Spanish-American War.

1790 - The Revenue Cutter Service is established by Congress, authorizing the construction of 10 vessels to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. The service receives its present name, U.S. Coast Guard, in 1915 under an act of Congress that merges the Revenue Cutter Service with the Life-Saving Service, thereby providing the nation with a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws. 1846 - During the Mexican-American War…

1822 - The schooner Porpoise captures six pirate vessels off Cuba and destroys their base, while USS Spark recaptures a Dutch sloop that had been taken as a prize by pirates. A landing party destroys the pirate's base in the West Indies. 1881 - Nathan Goff Jr., took office as the 28th Secretary of the Navy, serving until March. A World War II destroyer was named for him. 1945 - Destroyers Charles Ausburne (DD 570), Braine (DD 630), Russell (DD 414) and Shaw (DD 373) sink the Japanese destroyer Hinoki, 50 miles west-southwest of Manila Bay.

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters. Both nations face a challenge from China's growing assertiveness over territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where it uses coast guard and fishing vessels to press into disputed areas. Wednesday's drill was the first held by Japan and the Philippines after signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012. The exercises in Manila Bay were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations, including China, who are meeting to find ways to cooperate in boosting safety and battling piracy and transnational crime.

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters. Both nations face a challenge from China's growing assertiveness over territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where it uses coast guard and fishing vessels to press into disputed areas. Wednesday's drill was the first held by Japan and the Philippines after signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012. The exercises in Manila Bay were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations, including China, who are meeting to find ways to cooperate in boosting safety and battling piracy and transnational crime.

Vietnam on Tuesday showed off its two most powerful warships in the first-ever port call to the Philippines but an official said it was not trying to challenge China's superior naval forces amid tension in the South China Sea. Hanoi invited the diplomatic community to its Russian-built missile-guided frigates docked in Manila Bay at the start of a three-day goodwill visit. China lays claim to almost all of the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich minerals and oil-and-gas deposits. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims, creating one of Asia's biggest possible flashpoints. "We are trying to hold joint patrols and operations in the Spratlys, including search-and-rescue operations," said a Philippine naval official, referring to a disputed island chain.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony to announce that SSN 793, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS Oregon. During a ceremony held at the Battleship Oregon Memorial in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Mabus announced the submarine will be named to honor the long-standing history its namesake state has had with the Navy. Mabus also recognized USS Portland (LPD 27) which he named last year in honor of Oregon’s largest city. “Sailors and Marines, like the citizens of Oregon throughout history, are pioneers. They are explorers who are looking willingly toward the unknown, wanting to know what is out over the horizon,” said Mabus. Mabus told the crowd SSN 793 will be the third naval ship to bear the name Oregon.

A typhoon killed at least 10 people as it churned across the Philippines and shut down the capital, cutting power and prompting the evacuation of more than 400,000 residents, rescue officials said. The eye of Typhoon Rammasun, the strongest storm to hit the country this year, passed south of Manila after cutting a path across the main island of Luzon, toppling trees and power lines and causing electrocutions and widespread blackouts. By Wednesday evening, the storm was easing in the capital and markets and public offices were due to reopen on Thursday. Some schools were to remain closed. Manila Electric Company said 76 percent of the area it serves was without power, compared with 86 percent earlier in the day.

A typhoon killed at least 10 people as it churned across the Philippines and shut down the capital, cutting power and prompting the evacuation of almost more than 370,000 people, rescue officials said on Wednesday. The eye of Typhoon Rammasun, the strongest storm to hit the country this year, passed to the south of Manila on Wednesday after cutting a path across the main island of Luzon, toppling trees and power lines and causing electrocutions and widespread blackouts. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, said there was minimal damage in the capital but staff were trying to rescue people trapped by fallen debris in Batangas City to the south where two people were electrocuted.

Rammasun hits eastern Rapu-Rapu island, heads towards Manila; Strongest storm after last year's Haiyan. Thousands evacuated from coastal villages. Thousands of people in the Philippines fled from their homes on Tuesday as the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year made landfall, toppling trees and cutting power as it made its way straight towards the capital, Manila. Parts of the Philippines are still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, one of the biggest cyclones known to have made landfall anywhere, which killed more than 6,100 people last year, many in tsunami-like sea surges, and left millions homeless. Typhoon Rammasun, with gusts of up to 160 kph (99 mph) and sustained winds of 130 kph (81 mph) near its centre…

Today in U.S. 1934 - Lt. Akers demonstrates blind landing system at College Park, Md. 1945 - V.Adm. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Today in U.S. Naval History - February 13 1854 - Admiral Perry anchors off Yokosuka, Japan to receive Emperor's reply to treaty proposal 1913 - Naval Radio Station, Arlington, Va. begins operations 1945 - First naval units enter Manila Bay since 1942 1968 - Operation Coronado XI begins in Mekong Delta For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Before dawn on May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey's flagship Olympia led seven U.S. Navy cruisers and gunboats into Manila Bay. By 8 AM that morning Dewey's Asiatic Squadron had located and destroyed virtually the entire Spanish naval force in the Philippines. Damage to the American ships was negligible, and their crews suffered no fatalities and few injuries. The Battle of Manila Bay was a singular demonstration of the daring and decisive application of sea power. In a few hours, Dewey had eliminated any threat that the Spanish Navy might pose to U.S.

1854 - Adm. Matthew Calbraith Perry anchors off Yokosuka, Japan, to receive the Japanese Emperor’s reply to a treaty proposal. 1913 - Naval Radio Station, Arlington, Va., begins operations. 1945 - Naval units enter Manila Bay for the first time since 1942. 1968 - Operation Coronado XI begins in Mekong Delta, South Vietnam.   For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil

The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future USS Dewey (DDG 105) Aug. 17 from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) during a ceremony in Pascagoula, Miss. In June, the guided-missile destroyer completed a combined Builder's and Acceptance trial, also called "super trials," after spending three days in the Gulf of Mexico. "This is the second DDG we've delivered this summer," said Capt. Pete Lyle, DDG 51 class program manager in the Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships (PEO Ships). The future USS Dewey is the 57th destroyer in the Arleigh Burke class and is scheduled to be commissioned in December. Designated DDG 105, the new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey who is best known for his valor during the U.S. victory in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered two ships to the U.S. Navy this week at its Gulf Coast shipyards in Pascagoula, Miss. and Avondale, La. Company and Navy officials signed documents officially transferring custody of the Aegis guided missile destroyer Dewey (DDG 105) in Pascagoula on Monday, Aug. 17 and the amphibious transport dock ship New York (LPD 21) at the New Orleans facility on Friday, Aug. 21. "Delivering one ship is a tremendous accomplishment, as a ship delivery flexes nearly every muscle in a shipbuilding organization…

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has approved Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif., as the commissioning location of Pre-commissioning Unit (PCU) Dewey, the Navy's newest and most technologically advanced guided-missile destroyer. The event will be the first time a U.S. Navy warship has been commissioned at Seal Beach. Deborah Mullen, wife of Adm. Mike G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the ship's sponsor. She had previously christened the ship during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., Jan. 26, 2008. The new destroyer honors Adm.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that the company has completed a practice drill based on the scenario of its training ship Spirit of MOL being involved in a collision, fire, and oil spill incident just off Manila on February 18. Following is an outline of the drill, which involved about 60 participants from the Tokyo Head Office and MOL Group companies. Beginning on the afternoon of Thursday, February 18, the drill was intended to strengthen the foundation of social responsibility laid out in the MOL Group Corporate Principles protecting the environment by maintaining strict…