Palawan News

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…

Philippine authorities have increased efforts to contain an oil spill from a sunken fuel tanker that has affected coastal towns and was still spreading, the environment ministry said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with cleanup challenges.Improvised spill booms made from cogon grass and coconut materials were helping to restrict oil leaking from MT Princess Empress, the Philippine-flagged tanker that encountered engine trouble in rough seas on Feb.

The Philippines summoned China’s ambassador on Monday to explain what it called the “illegal intrusion and lingering presence” of a Chinese navy vessel in waters between some of the archipelago nation’s largest islands.The foreign ministry in a statement said a Chinese navy reconnaissance ship entered Philippine waters without permission and lingered from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, ignoring repeated demands to leave.It was detected off the Cuyo Group of Islands, close to Palawan, and Apo island off Mindoro…

U.S. oil major Chevron has completed the exit from the Shell-operated Malampaya gas project offshore the Philippines with the sale of its 45% non-operating interest in the field to Udenna Corporation. The sale deal was signed in October 2019.The Malampaya natural gas field lies about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan. Net daily production during 2019 averaged 136 million cubic feet of natural gas and 3,000 barrels of condensate.Produced from fields at water depths of about 2…

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…

China has assured the Philippines it will not occupy new features or territory in the South China Sea, under a new "status quo" brokered by Manila as both sides try to strengthen their relations, the Philippine defence minister said. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also said the Philippines was working on a "commercial deal" with China to explore and exploit oil and gas resources in disputed areas of the South China Sea with an aim to begin drilling within a year. The defence minister, Delfin Lorenzana, told a congressional hearing the Philippines and China had reached a "modus vivendi", or a way to get along, in the South China Sea that prohibits new occupation of islands.

Far out in the South China Sea, where dark blue meets bright turquoise, a miles-long row of fishing boats anchor near Scarborough Shoal, backed by a small armada of coastguard projecting China's power in Asia's most disputed waters. China still calls the shots at the prime fishing spot and has boosted its fleet there, nine months after an international panel ruled its blockade of the lagoon was illegal. Beijing rejected that ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated China's claim of sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. But the presence of Philippine boats dotted between Chinese vessels shows a degree of compliance with the ruling.

The Philippines, eager to resume development of vital oil and gas reserves off its coast, will likely need to reach an accord with a Chinese government infuriated by last week's ruling that granted Manila a big victory in the South China Sea. The Philippines relies overwhelmingly on imports to fuel its fast-growing economy. That reliance will grow further in a few years when the main source of domestic natural gas runs out, so the clock is ticking for it to develop offshore fields that China shows no sign of loosening its grip on. Beijing has refused to recognise the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that granted the Philippines sovereign rights to access offshore oil and gas fields, including the Reed Bank, a shallow tablemount some 85 nautical miles off its coast.

US submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) arrived in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan on Saturday, June 11, for a "scheduled port visit," according to the US embassy in Manila. The visit will allow the ship’s sailors and military sealift command mariners to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Frank Cable, a ship that provides repairs and support to submarines, is commanded by Capt. Drew St. John and has more than 500 sailors and civilian mariners on board. The presence of the submarine tender ship coincided with the visit of a US-based defense and security think-tank to Western Command (Wescom) in Palawan to observe and see the actual implementation of the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Buoys stretched "as far as eye could see" - Philippine sailor. The Philippine navy recently found a large steel marker bearing Chinese inscriptions and hundreds of yellow buoys in waters near the Reed Bank, an area of the South China Sea where Manila has long explored for oil and gas, Philippine naval sources said. One source, a sailor, told Reuters he was on a fishing boat being used by the navy that discovered the rubber buoys and the floating steel marker at the end of May. The buoys stretched "as far as the eye could see", the sailor said. He said there was no evidence Chinese ships had placed them near the Reed Bank, which is also claimed by Beijing.

The U.S. and Japan are conducting separate military drills with the Philippines near disputed islands in the South China Sea, says a report in Reuters. The naval exercises is not far from the disputed Spratly archipelago, where China's rapid creation of seven island outposts is stoking regional tensions. Japan will dispatch a P-3C patrol aircraft to the South China Sea, to join a military exercise with the Philippines navy. Japanese media quoted Tomohisa Takei, chief of staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, as saying that the exercise will take place in high seas north of the Philippines' Palawan Island from Sunday until June 27th. The AFP media agency says that the Philippines will hold a joint military exercise with the US and Japan.

A new National Coast Watch Center (NCWC) for maritime security has opened in the Republic of the Philippines. Raytheon Company designed, implemented and equipped the center and its coastal system using the company's integrated border security solutions. The NCWC is the hub of the Philippines' National Coast Watch System for maritime security. The system improves the ability of the country's maritime forces to detect, prevent and deter threats and security risks across its territorial waters. The Raytheon team also provided communication and surveillance solutions for the islands of Palawan and Cebu with associated training and sustainment for the Filipino operators.

Philippine military will soon build naval base on the country’s western coastline, opposite the disputed Spratly islands, Reuters reported Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. as saying. "We feel this is the number one priority because of the emerging security situation. As soon as we have the money, we will pour resources there,” he said. He said once they finished the facility at Oyster Bay on the country’s island of Palawan, they will allow the United States, Japan, and Vietnam to make port calls. Philippine’s possible plan of developing the island paradise into a military base could annoy China which already controls the majority in the disputed waters.

China on Thursday sketched out plans for the islands it is creating in the disputed South China Sea, saying they would be used for military defence as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that the reclamation and building work in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea was needed partly because of the risk of typhoons in an area with a lot of shipping that is far from land. "We are building shelters, aids for navigation, search and rescue as well as marine meteorological forecasting services, fishery services and other administrative services" for China and neighbouring countries, Hua said.

China on Thursday sketched out plans for the islands it is creating in the disputed South China Sea, saying they would be used for military defence as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that the reclamation and building work in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea was needed partly because of the risk of typhoons in an area with a lot of shipping that is far from land. "We are building shelters, aids for navigation, search and rescue as well as marine meteorological forecasting services, fishery services and other administrative services" for China and neighbouring countries, Hua said.

Mammoet installed the Malampaya Phase 3 Depletion Compression Platform in the West Philippine Sea for Shell Philippines Exploration b.v. The Malampaya Depletion Compression Platform (DCP) is a new type of ‘self-installing platform;’ the platform floats into place over its end-location after which the legs are lowered onto the prepared seabed. It uses a pre-installed jacking system to enable the 80m legs to be jacked down and lift the platform from the water to its final position.

China has started dredging around the disputed Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, a Philippine navy commander said on Thursday, signalling Beijing may be preparing to expand its facilities in the area. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to set Southeast Asian minds at ease over the country's regional ambitions, but Beijing's reclamation work in the Spratlys underscores its drive to push claims in the South China Sea and reassert its rights. China has already undertaken reclamation work on six other reefs it occupies in the Spratlys, expanding land mass five-fold, aerial surveillance photos show. Images seen by Reuters last year appeared to show an airstrip and sea ports.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said two Chinese survey vessels had been sighted in a gas-rich area of its exclusive economic zone, raising concerns of heightened tensions in the disputed South China Sea. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich in deposits of oil and gas resources. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim the sea where $5 trillion of ship-borne goods pass every year. "Recently, we got a report from the armed forces that there were two hydrographic ships in Recto Bank, about 80 nautical miles off Palawan, clearly within our exclusive economic zone," Aquino told a television interview aired on Sunday. Recto Bank is also known as Reed Bank. "What are they doing there? What kind of studies are they conducting?

Seven Chinese crew members were rescued after their fishing vessel caught fire and sunk at 18 NM Southeast off Mouligi Island, Mapun in Tawi-Tawi, August 13, 2014. Coast Guard Station (CGS) Mapun disclosed that a certain Jonathan Tiblan, an employee of Municipal Hospital in Mapun, reported that he received a radio call from Capt. Cipriano Enoy, skipper of F/B King & Queen that a Chinese fishing vessel was on fire and eventually sunk. F/B King & Queen was plying the vicinity and successfully rescued all seven Chinese crew, who were all in good physical condition. Captain Enoy cannot get further information from the Chinese crew because they can't speak and understand English. F/B King and Queen with all seven rescued Chinese crew is currently on its way to Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Few people are as devoted to seafarers’ wellbeing as MPHRP’s partners, which include the members of the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA). With that in mind, MPHRP embarked upon a training initiative devised in collaboration with both ICMA and ISWAN. Based upon research and extensive shared experience, the training engages port chaplains, seafarers’ centres, other shore-based welfare providers to seafarers and community carers in home countries, ensuring that we reach seafarers in ports and in their home locations before and immediately after piracy and post repatriation.

Steven Libert, president of the Great Lakes Exploration Group, announced he has located what is believed to be the remains of Le Griffon, the first European ship to have sailed the upper Great Lakes. The 45-ton barque carrying seven cannons was built by the legendary French explorer Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle who was attempting to establish a Northwest Passage through Canada. La Salle wanted to provide a faster way to connect France with its trading partners in the Far East and Le Griffon was to be a vital link in the route between Niagra and Illinois.

Philippines police seized a Chinese fishing boat in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday, an official told Reuters, the latest flare-up of tensions in the oil and gas-rich waters that are claimed wholly or in part by six Asian nations. Chief Superintendent Niel Vargas of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group said a maritime police patrol apprehended a Chinese fishing boat around 7 a.m. on Tuesday off Half Moon Shoal. The boat has 11 crew and police found about 500 turtles in the vessel, some of which were already dead, he said, adding that a Philippine boat with crew was also seized, and found to have 40 turtles on board. Several species of sea turtles are protected under Philippine law.

Two foreign nationals are now placed into safety by the Philippine Coast Guard after sustaining minor injuries from an incident while sailing east of Basterra Reef, Palawan. American citizen Capt Linda Mckeever, 60 years old, and Rene Menz, 47 years old from Palau, were onboard S/V Creola when they were found and rescued by a passing fishing vessel, FV Mighty One, yesterday at around 5:30AM approximately 47NM southwest of South Islet, Tubbataha, Palawan. On the same day at around 6:20AM…