The government formally marked its ownership of the Philippine Rise as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and M-NAV Solutions Inc. successfully installed three state-of-the-art lighted ocean buoys in the territory’s maritime waters.
A news statement said Coast Guard and M-NAV Solutions Inc. personnel mounted the buoys from May 14 to 16, 2021, an activity that followed earlier maritime training exercises that the Coast Guard held in the West Philippine Sea, including the Scarborough Shoal.
The buoys were transported by vessel MV MORNING LIGHT from the Uni-Orient Pearl Ventures Inc. shipyard in Mandaue, Cebu, to the Philippine Rise on May 12, 2021, where the installation of the navigational aid subsequently followed.
Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral George Ursabia Jr. said the presence of buoys in the Philippine Rise sends message that the “vicinity waters is considered a special protected zone. Hence, mining and oil exploration are strictly prohibited to preserve its rich natural resources.”
The buoys are equipped with modern marine aids to navigation lanterns, specialized mooring systems and a remote monitoring system that uses satellite technology to transmit data to the Coast Guard National Headquarters in Port Area, Manila.
The Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety Services Command (MSSC) said seven more state-of-the-art lighted ocean buoys will arrive in the country this year to mark other vicinity waters inside Philippines’s exclusive economic zone.
The installation of the buoys was undertaken amid the swarming presence of Chinese vessels in some areas of the Kalayaan Island Group and West Philippine Sea.
Some of these ships have earlier been challenged by the Coast Guard and forced them to leave, including at the Ayungin Shoal.
Image courtesy of M-NAV Solutions Inc.
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