Philippines Coast Guard News

The Philippines' coast guard (PCG) on Sunday accused China of "dangerous and blocking" manoeuvres while its vessel patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea this month.Manila's coast guard said in a statement that on a nine-day patrol near the shoal by its 97-meter (318-foot) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, four Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels had shadowed the boat more than 40 times.Four Chinese maritime militia vessels were also present near the shoal, the PCG said.Located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)…

The Philippines Coast Guard has awarded a contract to OXE Marine’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Dynamic Power Marine and Industrial Hardware in partnership with DM8 Composites, to procure 40 high-speed vessels equipped with twin OXE300 outboards. As a result of the awarded contract, Dynamic Power will supply 80 engines to equip the high-speed vessels to support operations all over the Philippines.The vessels will be built by DM8 Composites, a FRP boat builder in the Philippines.

The Philippine Coast Guard has stepped up its presence in the disputed South China Sea by deploying additional vessels and conducting more sorties and overflights to protect maritime territory and the country's fishermen, its chief said on Monday.Beijing's sweeping claims of sovereignty over the waterway have drawn repeated complaints from Manila, which has ramped up its rhetoric against reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Chinese vessels in the resource-rich waterway."We're making sure that the presence of coast guard vessels is felt by the fishermen in the area…

The International Maritime Organization has recognized the contributions of a long-standing maritime industry chief and has presented its highest bravery accolade to two maritime pilots from Brazil and an off-duty seafarer from the Philippines.The event, which premiered on April 7, saw Peter Hinchliffe, former Secretary-General, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), receive the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2019.The 2020 IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea were awarded to Marcio Santos Teixeira and Fabio Rodrigues Alves de Abreu (Brazil)…

On Saturday, June 9, the captain and crew of the Wallem-managed vessel the bulk carrier KSL Seoul rescued six fishermen after their boat was involved in an accident and subsequently capsized.The KSL Seoul was passing through the Mindoro Strait en route to Port Walcott in West Australia when they spotted the capsized fishing boat, the Sister Reds with six Filipino fishermen clinging onto its hull.The KSL Seoul immediately notified the Philippine coastguard and the local Maritime Rescue Coordinating Council (MRCC) and changed course to approach the boat.

The Philippine coast guard was searching on Monday for 17 crew of a landing craft that went adrift south of the capital, Manila, one of three weekend accidents at sea, an agency spokesman said. Sea accidents are frequent in the Philippines, comprised of more than 7,000 islands, with lax regulations, ageing marine vessels and strong waves all contributing. "Seventeen crew are missing and we are still looking for them," said the spokesman, Captain Armand Balilo, adding that the craft lost power near Fortune Island, a tourist spot in Batangas province. Elsewhere, authorities on Sunday rescued all 14 boat passengers, mostly tourists, on the holiday island of Palawan and 19 people from a boat in the southeastern province of Camarines Norte…

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre and the Indian Coast Guard have commenced the 2017 Capacity Building Workshop in New Delhi, India. Themed “Striding Over Domestic Challenges,” this year’s workshop draws ReCAAP Focal Points from maritime enforcement and government agencies across Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States. Participants will pool case studies drawn from recent incidents from their respective countries, discuss challenges, and share best practices to effectively deal with the evolving patterns of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA Japan) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), in cooperation with the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC), jointly launched the inaugural Capacity Building Executive Programme on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in Singapore. The Capacity Building Executive Programme—targeted at senior-level personnel with 10 to 15 years of experience and above in maritime enforcement—will see ReCAAP Contracting Parties from ASEAN (Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), together with representatives from Indonesia and Malaysia as dialogue partners, participate in a 10-day training held both in Singapore and Japan from September 27 to October 6, 2017.

The Philippines' territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea has not caused Manila to rebalance diplomatic ties with either its ally, the United States, or neighbouring China, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Wednesday. An arbitration court in the Hague infuriated China in July by ruling that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions there. "We want to make close friendship with China. It does not mean that we'll weaken our friendship with the United States," Yasay told Reuters during a break in a meeting of the senate foreign relations committee. On Tuesday evening, President Rodrigo Duterte said he expects talks with China over the maritime dispute within a year.

In the light of three incidents where the crew of tug boats were abducted in the waters off Eastern Sabah and Southern Philippines, the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) published a special report on the ‘Abducting of Crew from Tug Boats in Waters off Eastern Sabah and Southern Philippines’. Between March and July 2016, six incidents occurred on board five tug boats towing barges and one fishing trawler, says the report. The report provides an update of the situation, which focuses on the modus operandi of the perpetrators, the status of the abducted crew and the actions taken to combat the events that have occurred. As a result of these six incidents, 33 crew members have been abducted.

Chinese maritime authorities must "blacklist" 31 boats operated by a North Korean firm that came under U.N. Security Council sanctions this week, according to a Ministry of Transport document reviewed by Reuters - a signal that China is enforcing tough new curbs aimed at Pyongyang's banned nuclear program. The notice, dated March 3, says maritime safety agencies must "urgently" determine whether 31 vessels belonging to Ocean Maritime Management Co (OMM) are in Chinese harbors or waters, and notify the ministry. The latest U.N. sanctions, drafted by the United States and China, blacklist the vessels. The ministry's notice says authorities must not allow the vessels to enter Chinese harbors, adding the measures were part of the "exceedingly sensitive" work of enforcing the U.N. sanctions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Benigno Aquino agreed on Thursday to start negotiations on an accord for the transfer of defense equipment and technology, as the two nations bolster security ties amid heightened concerns over Beijing’s increasing assertiveness at sea, reports Reuters. The two leaders also shared “serious concern on unilateral actions to change the status quo in the South China Sea,” according to a joint declaration they issued after their summit talks, with China’s recent rapid and massive reclamation work in mind. China has become increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, building artificial islands in areas over which the Philippines and other countries have rival claims.

An ailing seafarer was evacuated by the Phlippines Coast Guard from a Curacao-flagged vessel in the vicinity waters of Lubang Island in the morning of January 12. Able-bodied seaman (AB) Vasilijs Mahins reportedly incurred an open fracture on his lower right leg while working onboard MV Transporter. The vessel's ship master Capt. J. Kabicenko immediately coordinated with the Coast Guard Action Center (CGAC) around 10:30 a.m. of the said date for the medical evacuation of Mahins. Despite having most ships and air assets engaged for the Papal Visit security, Chief of Coast Guard Staff Capt. Oscar Endona deployed MCS 3004 to rendezvous with MV Transporter near Lubang Island. MCS 3004 was previously placed under the Operational Control of Task Group Papal Visit.

Twenty-six Filipino seamen were rescued by the crew of a Chinese vessel in Camiguin hours after their cargo ship sunk the morning of Friday, January 9, the Philippines Coast Guard reported. The survivors were onboard LCT 378 when it was battered by big waves and strong winds at the vicinity waters of Camiguin Island around 4 a.m. Capt. Edilberto I. Jugarap reportedly sent a distress signal when the ship continued to list at about 15 degrees to port side as water flooded in the cargo hold. Jugarap and his men abandoned ship at around 8:30 a.m. before LCT 378 totally capsized 20NM from the shoreline of Camiguin. The distress call was earlier received by MV Tongying and later rescued the 26 seamen onboard two inflatable rafts.

A cargo-passenger vessel in Cebu was held in Cebu by the Philippines Coast Guard Saturday, January 3, for overloading passengers. M/V Graceful Star, skippered by Capt. Pretchard Gayo, reportedly departed the port of Baybay, Leyte carrying a total of 736 passengers. Said vessel owned by Roble Shipping Lines is authorized to transport only 692 passengers. Upon arrival in Pier 4-Cebu, the personnel of Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Tinago immediately conducted an actual headcount as passengers disembarked the ship. According to the coast guard, 44 excess passengers were found by the joint team headed by CGSS Tinago personnel together with Field Security – Central Visayas and LET Coast Guard Station Cebu. Personnel of CGSS Tinago explained to Capt.

Philippines Coast Guard search and rescue teams are searching for nine missing crewmembers from the cargo vessel M/V Sea Merchant which sunk approximately five nautical miles southeast of Malabrigo Point in Lobo, Batangas at around 6:45 a.m. January 1. The missing crewmembers reportedly boarded a life raft, while 11 other crewmembers were rescued by the passing M/T Mactan Island after it has received the distress signal from the sinking vessel. M/V Sea Merchant was carrying 20,040 bags of cement to Antique from Bauan Port where it loaded 16,000 liters of diesel oil. Inquiry from Celso Rey Baiza, Chief Officer of M/V Sea Merchant revealed that while the vessel was navigating towards Dumali Point…

A storm off the Philippines caused a ship grounding incident in Antique yesterday morning which claimed one casualty, local authorities reported. The 18 other seafarers involved in the incident are reported safe. The Philippines Coast Guard’s investigation revealed that M/Tug Benny and its towing barge Brian took shelter at the vicinity waters of Barangay Balud, Tobias, Antique as Tropical Depression Seniang battered the Visayas region. Both vessels drifted toward the shoreline due to strong winds and waves. Twelve crew members from Barge Brian were able to swim towards the shoreline while the remaining seven crew of M/Tug Benny transferred to the barge waiting for rescue, the coast guard said. Upon receiving a VHF call from barge master Dillio S.

Philippines Coast Guard District Northern Mindanao conducted rescue operations to various flooded barangays of Butuan due to tropical depression Agaton. The rescue efforts resulted to a total of 639, which includes 350 adults, 255 children and 34 infants.

The Philippines Coast Guard Central Vizayas Action Center reported today three maritime incidents that occurred within their area of responsibility last night, January 15. MV Joyful Star with 237 passengers onboard ran aground yesterday around 11:45 p.m. at the vicinity of Bantolinao Point, Cebu while enroute from Maasin, Leyte to Cebu. Said vessel, with 1097.87 GT, is skippered by Captain Alexander Canete of Roble Shipping Incorporated. The Coast Guard is still transferring passengers of MV Joyful Star using rubber boats to DF 318 and MTug Janggo to Porter Yacht Club, Cebu. Additionally, MV Subic Bay 1, a cargo container vessel, ran aground at the same area at 2:44 a.m. today en route from Nasipit, Butuan to Pier 7, Port of Cebu.

Elements of Coast Guard Substation Cagayancillo apprehended a cargo vessel in Palawan for illegally transporting passengers and operating with incomplete documents Friday, December 6. The Coast Guard discovered the said violations while it was conducting a maritime patrol and boarding inspection on M/L Sharima which was anchored approximately 500 meters off the shoreline of Barangay Mampio, Cagayancillo, Palawan. The Coast Guard immediately issued Enforcement Inspection/Apprehension Report (EIAR) to M/L Sharima for violating the Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard (HPCG) Memorandum Circular No. 04-98 dated October 20, 1998 for not carrying pertinent documents such as Ship Station License, Minimum Safe Manning Certificate, Coastwise License and Load line Certificate.

The mine counter-measures ship 'USS Guardian' (MCM 5) still sits on the Tubbataha Reef. Operations to safely recover the ship while minimizing environmental effects are being conducted in close cooperation with allied Philippines Coast Guard and Navy. Prior to leaving port in Subic Bay, Guardian canceled a scheduled fuel stop to Puerto Princesa, thus  the  Guardian departed Olongapo City en route to Indonesia and was transiting the Sulu Sea when the grounding occurred at approximately 2:25 a.m. Thursday, 17, January.

The Philippines Coast Guard stated that it is coordinating and overseeing the conduct of the search and rescue operations for the remaining unaccounted passengers/crew of the MV Superferry 9. A total of 926 survivors and nine conformed fatalities have been recovered so far. It is reported that there were 968 persons on board the ferry when it capsized and sank. (9/7/09). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

The go-ahead for six new search and rescue vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard confirms Tenix Defence as Australia’s leading patrol boat constructor, Tenix Group Managing Director Paul Salteri said today. Tenix Defence will build two 56-metre search and rescue vessels and four 35-metre high-speed search and rescue vessels for the Coast Guard, with an option for 10 more 35-metre vessels, under a contract worth up to US$150m. “Tenix Defence built two previous 56-metre vessels for the Philippines at our yard at Henderson in Western Australia, where the new vessels will also be built.” Mr Salteri said. “These vessels were delivered in June 2000 and December 2000, and their success in operational service has led directly to the second order.