Philippines News

The armed forces of five countries conducted joint maritime exercises in a portion of the South China Sea on Saturday as China carried out its own military drills in the disputed waterway.The exercises involving the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan and - for the first time - New Zealand took place in Manila's exclusive economic zone and sought to improve the militaries' interoperability, the Philippine armed forces said in a statement.Saturday's exercises included a Philippine warship…

The U.S. Coast Guard is watching an "uptick" in Chinese and Russian navy activity around Alaska and the northern Pacific but encounters to date have been very professional, a senior commander said on Friday.Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, noted on a call with regional reporters while visiting Japan that his country and Russia share a maritime boundary line between Alaska and the Russian Far East"Russian naval vessels, certainly we've seen an uptick in their presence in that particular region.

The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there."We will sustain presence over these waters," Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a press conference.The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what Manila suspects to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the area.

The United States is amassing an arsenal of abundant and easily made anti-ship weapons as part of American efforts to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region and gear up U.S. forces there.Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed U.S. thinking toward a new philosophy - "affordable mass," as one missile industry CEO put it, speaking on condition of anonymity, referring to having plenty of relatively cheap weapons at the ready."It's a natural counter to what China has been doing," said Euan Graham…

The Philippines said it was sending a vessel to Sabina Shoal to replace a coast guard ship that returned to port on Sunday after a five-month deployment at the contested feature in the South China Sea, in a swap that would likely irk China.Beijing had demanded the Philippines withdraw the 97-metre (318-foot) coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua it claimed was "illegally stranded" at the atoll, which it asserts it owns as part of its broader claim to nearly the entire South China Sea."The Philippine side's actions have seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty…

Efren Dominico has been a fisherman in the Bay of Manila in the Philippines for 43 years and survived countless storms, but nothing prepared him for the day when an oil tanker sank off the coast in July and cut him off from his livelihood.The motor tanker Terranova capsized and sank off the tow of Limay, on the western side of Manila Bay, carrying 1.4 million litres of oil, the largest oil spill in the country since 2006.Days later, two more fuel tankers sank off the coast of a neighbouring town…

Esgian provides an update on new contract awards for Greatship, Transocean, Noble and Stena Drilling in its Week 36 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsGreatship has secured a contract with Cairn for its 350-ft Greatdrill Chetna jackup drilling rig in India. The contract is firm for six months at a dayrate of approximately $90,000, starting in late November or early December 2024.Transocean has secured a binding letter of award from Reliance Industries for its 6th generation 12…

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

The Philippines and China exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes in the vital waterway.The collision near the Sabina Shoal was their fifth maritime confrontation in a month in a longstanding rivalry.Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Portions of the waterway…

China released on Friday its first survey report of the South China Sea's disputed Sabina Shoal, saying there was no scientific or factual basis for reef damage claims made by the Philippines.In the report by the natural resource ministry conducted from May to July, it found that key habitat index values in the reef area were within the suitable growth range of the coral reef system."As for the claim concocted by the Philippines that China's artificial accumulation of coral debris at Xianbin Reef has caused a large number of coral bleaching and death in the region…

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will undergo maintenance in Australia for the first time on Friday, a key step by AUKUS partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the defense ministers of Australia, Britain and the United States said.Australian personnel trained with the United States and Britain over the past year ahead of the submarine maintenance at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, involving personnel from the three nations."Our navies are committed to reinforcing…

This year’s multilateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise, an annual event conducted by the United States Navy which took place from August 12 to 23, 2024, focused on strengthening regional responses to maritime security threats.The participants were Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Palau, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.This year’s SEACAT included a five-day shore-based program featuring a Senior Leaders’ Forum…

The Philippines and China clashed in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sunday over what Manila said was a resupply mission for fishermen, the latest in a series of sea and air confrontations in the strategic waterway.The incident overshadows efforts by both nations to rebuild trust and better manage disputes after months of confrontations, including a violent clash in June, in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.The Philippines on Sunday accused China of "aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres" to block the resupply mission.

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will undergo maintenance in Australia for the first time on Friday, a key step by AUKUS partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the defence ministers of Australia, Britain and the United States said.Australian personnel trained with the United States and Britain over the past year ahead of the submarine maintenance at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, involving personnel from the three nations."Our navies are committed to reinforcing…

The Philippines said China's Coast Guard was not helping efforts to build confidence in the South China Sea, after accusing it of ramming and damaging its vessels in the latest in a succession of altercations.The Philippines urges China to refrain from aggressive actions and adhere to international law, said Alexander Lopez, a spokesperson for the country's maritime council, an inter-ministerial body that formulates policy on the South China Sea.The latest incident took place near the Sabina Shoal…

Claus Winter Graugaard suddenly passed away on July 30 at age 51.Graugaard was widely recognized as a pivotal leader both at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping and in the broader maritime industry. Since joining the Center's leadership team in January 2021, he played an integral role serving as Chief Technology Officer - Onboard Vessel Solutions.He was widely respected for his professionalism, dedication and relentless drive in advancing the maritime industry's transition to a sustainable future.

The Philippines and China accused each other on Monday of ramming vessels and performing dangerous maneuvers in the South China Sea, the latest flare-up after the two nations had agreed to try to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea.China's Coast Guard said in a statement a Philippine vessel which had ignored its repeated warnings "deliberately collided" with a Chinese vessel in an "unprofessional and dangerous" manner in the disputed waterway early on Monday.The Philippines…

China's coast guard said it was monitoring Philippine patrol and fishing vessels that have gathered around the contested Sabina Shoal, citing China's "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.China's coast guard had been monitoring the vessels since Saturday, spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement late on Sunday.Gan said patrol boats from the Philippine Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Bureau and multiple fishing boats have gathered in the waters near a Philippine ship which China has said was "illegally stranded" at the shoal.The stranded ship "violates" China

China's coast guard said it was monitoring Philippine patrol and fishing vessels that have gathered around the contested Sabina Shoal, citing China's "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.China's coast guard had been monitoring the vessels since Saturday, spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement late on Sunday.Gan said patrol boats from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and multiple fishing boats have gathered in…

Two German warships await orders from Berlin, their commander said, to determine whether next month they will be the first German naval vessels in decades to pass through the Taiwan Strait, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.While the U.S. and other nations, including Canada, have sent warships through the narrow strait in recent weeks, it would be the German navy's first passage through the strait since 2002.China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan, and says it…

Fishing has been a lifeline for Alejandro Alcones for the past four decades, but he now fears his small boat may be replaced by a floating solar farm on the Philippines' largest lake.Alcones is part of a group of fishermen opposed to the government's plan to place solar panels atop Laguna de Bay, one of the country's biggest sources of freshwater fish, as it looks for renewable energy sources to meet growing demand for power."Laguna Lake gives life and income to fishermen like us who didn't finish school.

The Philippines, Canada, United States and Australia kicked off their first joint military exercise on Wednesday in the South China Sea to enhance inter-operability among their forces, the four countries' military said.The two-day exercise, which will involve naval and air force units, is the first among the four countries, and follows the first Philippines-Japan joint exercise in the disputed South China Sea last week.The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, has held similar exercises with other countries in the disputed waterway, having carried out drills with Manila and Japan in