Tag: Philippines

A significant move by the world's largest crew supply country Commenting on today's official International Labour Organization acknowledgement that the Republic of the Philippines has formally ratified ILO Convention 185 on seafarers' identity documents, ITF seafarers section secretary Jon Whitlow said:"This is significant news. This move by the world's largest crew supply country sends a strong signal to nations worldwide that seafarers' rights to shore leave and safe transit must be respected. At the same time the intention of the convention to enhance security has also been carried forward." For more on the convention see http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C185Source: ITF

All 14 crewmembers of a Panamanian cargo vessel are safe All 14 crewmembers of a Panamanian cargo vessel carrying 9,900.7 metric tons of iron one from Leyte bound for mainland China were rescued 34 nautical miles southeast of Binorong Point Catanduanes, the Coast Guard district office said.Capt. Leopoldo Laroya, district commander, said M/V Sun Spirits of Panamanian registry was owned by Yokohama Manning.At 1 p.m. Saturday, it sent distress signals as it was listing due to rough seas in the Pacific Ocean. The crew included Captain Park Cheol Fon and a fellow Korean along with 12 Indonesian nationals.At 9:20 a.m. Sunday, MV Oriental Xanadu picked up 11 people on a life boat east of Rapu-rapu Island in Albay. Three others were rescued by an unidentified fishing boat that brought them to to the Coast Guard in Virac.Source: Seatrade Asia

Senator Edgardo Angara pressed for the improvement For many decades seafarers from the Philippines have been the backbone of the global maritime industry. Almost every other ship plying the world's seaways has some form or other of Filipino content within its hull. So much so that a joke does the rounds of nautical circles that should one go to any ship berthed at a harbor anywhere in the world and shout "Jun" a Filipino would pop his head over the deck!But the unfolding tragic drama last week of the sinking of the Costa Concordia in usually safe waters off the coast of Italy - and in a ship (and, indeed, a shipping company) that employs hundreds of Filipino seamen - has brought home the importance of sound maritime education, especially in the area of safety out at sea.Ironically, not too long ago, Senator Edgardo Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Culture and the Arts, pressed for the improvement of the country's maritime education and training following reports that Filipino seafarers are at risk of being banned from European Union ships.The EU is set to announce next month whether the Philippines is complying with the International Convention on Standards ...

Accusations that three Chinese ships had intruded into waters of South China Sea China on Monday rejected accusations by Manila that three Chinese ships had intruded into waters claimed by the Philippines.China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have conflicting claims in the Spratleys, an area believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas in the South China Sea.Manila last week expressed "serious concerns" to China after it said two Chinese vessels and a Chinese navy warship were spotted last month in disputed waters claimed by the Philippines.Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin called those accusations groundless at a regular Foreign Ministry briefing on Monday, saying "China has indisputable sovereignty" over the area.He also said he hoped the Philippines would "not provoke trouble and make disturbances" and do more to protect peace and stability in the region.Source: ABS- CBN News

Newly approved resolution on oceans and Law of the Sea The Philippine government is hoping that a newly approved resolution would protect the country's 350,000 sailors, who comprise nearly 25 percent of the world's seafarers.The Philippines hopes that the annual omnibus resolution on oceans and Law of the Sea, approved by the United Nations General Assembly, would: protect seafarers from piracy attacks, promote marine biodiversity, and contribute to the peaceful settlement of disputes.A report of the Philippine mission to the UN said 134 member states voted "Yes" while one voted "No" and six abstained in the 93rd meeting of the GA's 66th session."(On the peaceful settlement of disputes), as a country that holds keen interest on the oceans and its resources, the Philippines expresses its commitment once again to be a constructive and active partner, fully aware of the promise they hold for the maintenance of the legal order for the oceans and of our responsibility and duty to ensure that we comply with international obligations," Philippine Representative to the UN Libran Cabactulan said."Indeed, piracy is a menace to the world. It disrupts global trade and poses genuine security threats. It also impacts directly on the lives of seafarers and ...

Maritime curriculum upgrade pushed In order to sustain its current status as the premier provider of quality seafarers worldwide, the Philippine's Commission on Higher Education is pushing for an upgrade in maritime education.According to Capt. Hernando Eusebio, this push for educational and training improvement is needed to create more competitive Filipino seafarers in the future. Also, if the upgrades push through, the Philippines will continue to hold its current prestige as the global maritime industry."Only through upgrading our maritime training curriculum can the Philippines maintain its lead as the world's number one supplier of efficient and highly trained seamen," Eusebio emphasized.Eusebio also added that the CHED technical panel and its working group is doing everything in its power to come up with updated training syllabus that will further cement the Filipino seamen's excellent reputation."We are being aided in this task by other government agencies (with maritime functions) and manning industry stakeholders," he added.Apart from updating the maritime schools' curriculum, Eusebio also noted that training centres must also invest on quality people and equipment to make their graduates more globally competitive."This is the only way we can survive and compete internationally. Adequate funding must be set aside to obtain these requisites," ...

One of Vale's mega ore carriers- the Berge Everest One of Vale's mega ore carriers, among the world's biggest, is expected to arrive in the Philippines this week to unload its maiden cargo of Brazilian iron ore as the miner's fleet remains locked out of its biggest market, China. Vale has been forced to divert its fleet of six mega vessels to the Philippines, Italy, Oman and other destinations while waiting for Beijing to give it access to Chinese ports.The 388,000-tonne Berge Everest, leased from Singapore-based Berge Bulk, is the first of Vale's planned fleet of 35 giant vessels to travel to Asia fully loaded with iron ore.After a brief stop to refuel in Singapore this month, the ship will dock in the Port of Villanueva in the Philippines, according to Reuters Freightviews. It is expected to then transfer the iron ore to two smaller capesize vessels, bound most likely for China, a port agent said."It seems as though the ship will be unloading in the Philippines. I guess we will be the iron ore centre for Vale in Asia until their China problem is resolved," said a domestic port agent, who wished not to be identified because his company ...

23 crew members on board and carrying 54,400 tonnes of nikel ore The Vietnamese-owned cargo ship Vinalines Queen, with 23 crew members on board, has gone missing in the Philippines sea while carrying 54,400 tonnes of nikel ore from Indonesia's Morowali port to Ningde port in China, the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Cooperation Center (VN MRRC) has announced.According to Vinalines Shipping, as of 7am on December 25th, upon reaching the area northeast of Luzon island in the Philippines, the Vinalines Queen announced it had an 18 degree incline, and lost contact with Vinalines Shipping afterwards.After being informed by Vinalines Shipping, VN MRCC notified rescue forces from the Philippines and Taiwan of the missing ship and asked them to rush to their rescue.However, Filipino authorities said the unpredictable weather and the absence of rescue equipment has made it impossible for them to carry out rescue operations.As of 11:15 on December 26th, Taiwan's rescue teams announced that they had sent rescue equipment to the scene twice, but had to return to their base due to strong winds and rough seas.VN MRCC also informed maritime rescue centers in Hong Kong and Japan of the case.On December 26th, a plane hired by the insurance company ...

It is likely to pressure n the South China Sea dispute The U.S. Navy said it would station several new coastal combat ships in Singapore and perhaps in the Philippines in coming years, moves likely to fuel China's fears of being encircled and pressured in the South China Sea dispute.Regional defense analysts said the ships were small, but agreed the symbolism of the moves, which come after Washington announced it was increasing its engagement in Asia, would upset Beijing.Last month the United States and Australia announced plans to deepen the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, with 2,500 U.S. Marines operating out of a de facto base in Darwin in northern Australia.In coming years, the U.S. Navy will increasingly focus on the strategic "maritime crossroads" of the Asia-Pacific region, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert wrote in the December issue of Proceedings, published by the U.S. Naval Institute.He said the navy planned to "station several of our newest littoral combat ships at Singapore's naval facility," in addition to the plans announced by President Barack Obama for marines to be based in Darwin from next year."This will help the navy sustain its global forward posture with what may be ...

13 out f the 15crewmembers have been rescued so far A Chinese cargo ship capsized off the northern Philippine province of Cagayan early on Sunday, leaving one crewmember dead and another missing, according to Chinese consular officials.A search is currently underway for the missing crewmember, while 13 other crewmembers had been rescued, said Lin Zhangbiao, captain of the Changda 216, which was heading to East China's Fujian province when the accident happened.One of the crewmembers was hospitalized and is expected to be discharged on Monday, Lin added.The ship had 15 crewmembers on board, including 13 Chinese nationals, one Indonesian and one Filipino, he said.Heavy rain is hindering the search and rescue operation, said an official at the Chinese consulate in Laoag.The ship sank about 2.4 kilometers from the mouth of the Cagayan River as it was battered by huge waves, Captain George Ursabia, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard's Northern Luzon District, told Xinhua News Agency.The wind was so strong that the ship filled with seawater and was severely damaged, he said.The coast guard is looking for the missing crewmember and watching the sunken ship in order to prevent an oil spill as it is loaded with 70 tons of ...