Philippine Government News

Eleven Filipino seafarers arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday nearly a week after they survived a Houthi missile attack off Yemen.They were crew members of the Barbados-flagged, Greek operated merchant ship True Confidence which the Houthis attacked last week, killing three sailors, including two Filipinos. The migrant workers' ministry said in a statement the 11 survivors received government help on arriving in Manila.Mark Anthony Dagohoy, a crew member on True Confidence, said it was difficult to recall what they went through…

The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

Global leaders from organizations representing seafarers, shipowners and other maritime employers signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines’s Department of Migrant Workers on Wednesday 11 January, to form the International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA).The IACGMA is composed of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC), and the…

The Supreme Court in the Philippines on Tuesday declared the country's 2005 energy exploration agreement with Chinese and Vietnamese firms was illegal, ruling that the constitution does not allow foreign entities to exploit natural resources. The decision, on an agreement that expired in 2008, could complicate efforts by China to revive oil and gas exploration talks with the Philippines in areas of the South China Sea that are not in dispute. The court gave no explanation for why the ruling came 14 years after a petition was filed.

A lawmaker in the Philippines has reintroduced legislation to prevent maritime and airspace encroachment by Chinese vessels, by restricting them to designated sea lanes and air routes and prescribing jail time for captains or vessel owners.The Philippines has complained repeatedly about Chinese activities in its 200 mile (322 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including the sustained presence of hundreds of fishing boats it believes contain militia. It has argued those are not engaged in "innocent passage"…

A portion of the estimated 1,000 seafarers trapped in Ukraine have escaped, the International Labour Organization and industry officials told Reuters, voicing concern for those remaining trapped onboard ships or unaccounted for.Several foreign cargo ships have been struck by crossfire in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. U.N. agencies have called for urgent action to protect some 1,000 seafarers from at least 20 countries, including in the besieged city of Mariupol…

The crew change crisis that has been plaguing the maritime industry for more than a year and a half is raging on and only getting worse, data from 10 of the world's top ship managers suggests.The number of seafarers onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contract has continued rising from 7.2% to 8.8% in the last month, and the number of seafarers onboard vessels for over 11 months has risen from 0.4% to 1%, according to the latest monthly Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator.The…

Philippines and Singapore-based crew specialist CF Sharp has established its own COVID-19 testing center in Manila to speed up its crew change process amid mounting coronavirus case counts and ongoing logistical challenges for seafarers and ship managers globally. Sharp, which earlier this year repatriated more than 12,000 crew members from cruise ships around the world, is now pitching in to assist with crew changes for commercial vessels docked off the Philippine coast and has…

Families of 39 Filipino crewmen who were aboard a cattle ship that sank during a typhoon are pleading for a search to continue and to expand into uninhabited islands and nearby waters, two weeks after their vessel capsized off Japan.In tears during an online news conference, family members urged authorities to resume a massive search effort, after Japan's coastguard suspended its rescue last week.Of the ship's 43 crew, three were rescued—all Filipinos—but one later died after being found unconscious. Thirty-six Filipinos, two New Zealanders and two Australians are missing."We are getting frustrated not knowing where they are," said Liberty Seneres, wife of chief engineer, Aristotle Sabillena."We are worried.

Keppel Offshore & Marine, an offshore construction subsidiary of Singapore's Keppel Corp, expects challenging conditions ahead due to the drop in oil prices but says its business diversification into gas and renewables has paid off.The company has traditionally been called an "offshore rig builder" as this was the Keppel O&M's core business in the heydays before the 2014-16 collapse in oil prices when oil fell from over $100 a barrel to below $30.However, with offshore drilling rig orders dwindling…

The Philippine Coast Guard's new offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang arrived in Manila ready for service on Tuesday after several weeks of convoying and a first operational mission.Built by OCEA, the 84-meter type OCEA OPV 270 vessel left the French shipyard at the end of December with Philippine Coast Guard crew on board, for an arrival in the Philippines initially scheduled for January.The flagship of the Philippine Coast Guard fleet, shortly after leaving the French coast…

The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has been declared as the preferred bidder for the development, operations and management of the Port of Kribi in Cameroon for 25 years.Philippine government's  News Agency quoted ICTSI disclosure to the stock exchange saying that: "ICTSI has been declared preferred bidder for the concession of the development, operation and maintenance of the Multi-Purpose Terminal of the Port of Kribi by the Port Autonome de Kribi. Parties will now engage in exclusive concession contract negotiations ahead of final contract signature."The Port of Kribi, located in Cameroon, Central Africa, is a newly built port with deep draft.

All offers from potential buyers of a strategically located but debt-laden Philippine shipyard will be welcome, the trade minister said on Thursday, ruling out barring Chinese firms over national security fears.Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government would not, and could not, block interested buyers of distressed shipbuilder Hanjin Philippines, which defaulted on $1.3 billion in loans, of which $900 million is owed to South Korean banks and the rest to five Philippine lenders.Hanjin, a unit of South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd, until recently employed 20,000 workers at its yard in Subic Bay, which until 1992 was home to a U.S.

Two Chinese shipbuilding companies have expressed intent to invest in the largest Philippine shipyard, debt-riddled Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines, the Department of Trade Industry (DTI) said.Drowning in debt,  the Philippine business of the Hanjin Group of South Korea, has asked the government for help in search of an investor who would take over the business and save the troubled shipbuilder.Philippines Rodrigo Duterte administration has stepped in to help save the troubled investor in Subic.According to local media reports, which quoted Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo, two Chinese firms contacted the Board.“They’re interested in the shipbuilding industry in general ...

The Philippines stands to benefit from introducing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to support power generation and making it part of its energy mix, the government's Philippine News Agency reported quoting  an energy sector expert for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). “Right now and the foreseeable future, natural gas and LNG is much cheaper today compared to two to three years ago, so there is a chance for the Philippines and for the countries in Asia to benefit from LNG and this is window of opportunity I think,” ADB chief of energy sector group Dr. Yongping Zhai said in an interview on Thursday. Zhai believes that LNG, a cleaner gas compared to coal, could be “very much part” of the Philippines' energy mix depending on its viability.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced that the establishment of MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy  in Salitran, Dasmariñas City, the Philippines — a joint project with Magsaysay Maritime Corporation (MMC) — has acquired official approval from the Philippine government's Commission on Higher Education (CHED), clearing the way for the academy to open in August. MOL has offered training programs in Philippines with the goal of developing crewmembers who will uphold strict safety standards in vessel operation, such as onboard training program with its own instructors and crewmembers aboard its training ship, and the "3rd Year Program" targeted new seafarers from among third-year students at partner maritime schools in the Philippines…

Exercise LUMBAS is an annual bi-lateral exercise between the Australia and the Philippines, and is being undertaken concurrently to the Royal Australian Navy’s visit to the region. The long standing and close working relationship between Australia and the Philippines was reinforced with amphibious giant, HMAS Adelaide hosting a visit and capability briefing to participants. Royal Australian Navy, Philippine Navy and other Philippine Government Agencies aim to develop and enhance procedures for the conduct of maritime support operations and maritime interdiction operation throughout the Philippines as a result. HMA Ships Adelaide and Darwin were in the Philippines as part of a joint task group deployment to the region focussed on international engagement.

The recent visit to the Philippines, by two Australian Navy ships of the Indo-Pacific Task Group has significantly reinforced the strong defence relationship between Australia and the archipelago. Led by HMAS Adelaide in company with HMAS Darwin, both ships were welcomed to the Port of Manila by the Philippines Navy for a full day of engagements including the visit by the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Australian Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin. The Task Group later sailed to Subic Bay for a four-day visit, where both ships received over several hundred visitors eager to view the new capabilities the Australian Defence Force had on offer.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced the graduation of 88 students in the sixth class of the "3rd Year Program," which MOL introduced with the goal of developing crewmembers who will uphold strict safety standards in vessel operation. The 3rd Year Program targets new seafarers from among third-year students at partner maritime schools in the Philippines. MOL provides education and training at the Magsaysay Institute of Shipping (MIS), its training center in the Philippines. On hand for the graduation ceremony were Development Bank of the Philippines President, Cecilia C. Borromeo, MARINA, Deputy Executive Director for STCW, Atty. Maximo I.

Ten Indonesian tugboat crewmen held by the Abu Sayyaf terror gang in the southern Philippines were freed unharmed Sunday. The sailors arrived in Jakarta late on Sunday night, hours after they were released from captivity. They arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, East Jakarta, at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday using Jet Victoria News aircraft. Indonesia paid no ransom to free the sailors taken hostage, with efforts relying on negotiations, the lead Indonesian negotiator claimed on Monday. They were welcomed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and the National Armed Forces Chief General Gatot Nurmantyo. “All crew members will be taken to hospital for medical examination,” Retno said Sunday, May 1, 2016 before adding that the victims would be returned to their family after the examination.

China said on Monday the situation at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea "has not changed and will not change", after the Philippines said Chinese vessels that blocked the area for four years had stopped harassing its fishermen. Philippine security officials on Sunday said China had scaled down its maritime presence at the shoal since President Rodrigo Duterte's return from a visit to Beijing aimed at patching-up ties and courting investment. The disputed territory is significant not only for fishing, but for the broader balance of power in the South China Sea, and the circumstances behind China's apparent softening of its position are not clear.

Peter Modev, Senior Loss Prevention Executive at UK P&I Club, and the Club’s local correspondent (Pandiman Philippines) provide an update on the risks in transporting nickel ore from the Philippines. Nickel ore cargo originates principally in the Southern region of the Philippines, where it is loaded at Mindanao, but loading areas are private enterprises and at present shippers/mines are not allowing any access to these facilities. It is difficult for foreign experts to currently travel to the area, as most Embassies have strict travel warnings about going to the region. There are numerous terrorist groups operating in the area, with bombings and kidnappings and the death of one Canadian mine manager, while Philippine military forces are at war with several factions.

Militant group Abu Sayyaf (ASG) has conducted frequent kidnap for ransom attacks in the Sulu and Celebes Seas since March 2016, says a report by Protection Vessels International Ltd. Islamic State-affiliated ASG has successfully extracted millions of dollars' worth of ransom payments for individual releases and has decapitated several hostages when ransom demands have not been met. In November, ASG shifted towards targeting commercial vessels and successfully abducted six crew members from a bulk carrier. Armed robberies have grown increasingly violent in Indonesian waters in 2016 with robbers assaulting crew members who attempt to stop them.