Philippines News

The Philippines is exploring the possibility of converting two islands that were once part of a U.S. navy base into a military reservation, its defence department said on Thursday, a move to bolster its presence in waters facing the South China Sea.Grande and Chiquita islands are located in Subic Bay, which was once a sprawling U.S. base until the Philippines rejected a lease extension in 1991. The U.S. military pulled out a year later and the strategically located facility has…

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said on Wednesday.The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea…

Australia is scrambling to deploy new long-range missiles as the recent arrival of powerful Chinese warships off the Australian coast delivers a sharp reminder of Beijing’s growing naval muscle.In a move to boost military firepower, Canberra plans to arm Australian soldiers with anti-ship missiles and advanced targeting radars to protect the country’s vast maritime approaches, according to contract announcements as well as a flurry of recent official speeches and ministerial statements.Two…

AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG, a provider of logistics and transportation solutions, successfully completed the first stage of transporting Outside Battery Limits (OSBL) modules for the INEOS Project ONE, an initiative to build an ethane cracker at the port of Antwerp, Belgium.In September, AsstrA's Industrial Project Logistics (IPL) team delivered multiple cargos, including eight modules measuring up to 39 x 12 x 11 meters, from Bauan, Philippines, to Antwerp, Belgium, via the Cape of Good Hope.

When President Donald Trump sat down to lunch with his Japanese counterpart this month, talk turned quickly to how Tokyo could help realize a decades-old proposal to unlock gas in Alaska and ship it to U.S. allies in Asia.Trump and his energy tsar Doug Burgum framed the venture as a way for Japan to replace Middle East energy shipments and address its trade imbalance with the U.S., according to two officials briefed on the closed-door talks.Japanese premier Shigeru Ishiba - eager to ensure a positive first meeting and stave off damaging U.S.

Tokyo Gas said on Wednesday it had made its first foray into a commercially operational terminal for liquefied natural gas outside Japan by acquiring a 20% stake in Philippines' FGEN LNG, a unit of First Gen Corp.Financial terms of the deal for the stake in FGEN LNG, which owns and operates an offshore floating LNG terminal in Batangas City, were not disclosed.(Reuters - Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

Goltens Worldwide announced a new distribution agreement with Denmark's Marine Fluid Technology A/S (MFT) covering MFT’s SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board (BOB) system, SEA-Mate Filter system and other SEA-Mate products across key maritime markets in Singapore, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and the Middle East including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board is touted as a revolutionary technology designed for ship owners to rethink their lubrication oil use by recycling and enhancing engine efficiency and reducing operating costs…

Austal Limited said that Austal Australasia has been awarded a contract valued between A$265 and A$275 million by Gotlandsbolaget of Sweden for the design and construction of a 130-m combined cycle, ‘hydrogen-ready’ vehicle passenger ferry. Part of Gotlandsbolaget’s ‘Horizon X’ program, the high-speed ROPAX catamaran will be the largest vessel ever constructed by Austal, and feature a unique, highly efficient combined cycle propulsion system that includes both gas and steam turbines – reportedly a first for high-speed craft.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Lloyd’s Register OneOcean (LROO) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) of the Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation, have agreed to explore the integration of seafarer certification systems and to develop a mobile phone app.The aim is to test the feasibility of a digital system where all seafarer certificates can be securely stored and consolidated, allowing real-time access for all key stakeholders.This would reduce administrative burdens associated with paper-based seafarer endorsement and verification…

The Philippines is looking to buy more military hardware to modernize its arsenal, including additional BrahMos missiles from India and at least two submarines, the chief of the armed forces said.The Philippines is on the third phase of its modernisation program called "Horizons". It has earmarked $35 billion for the buildup over the next decade as it aims to counter China's military might in the region."It's a dream for us to get at least two submarines," Brawner said in a speech to leading business figures. "We are an archipelago.

The latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory from Dryad Global states that China’s military activity near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea continues to escalate, with combat readiness patrols becoming more frequent.The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has intensified both naval and air operations, and as Scarborough Shoal is situated within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) it remains a flashpoint for regional tensions.The deployment of the U.S. Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines in 2024 has further strained relations…

CEO Mike Corrigan outlines Interferry’s mountain of objectives – including a game-changing campaign to keep ferries front and center in reducing GHG emissions.Interferry’s origins stem from the launch of a knowledge-sharing US networking initiative in 1976. Those relatively modest roots have grown beyond recognition into a highly respected global trade association with membership exceeding 270 companies – operators and suppliers – in more than 40 countries. We have consultative…

The Philippines said on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels faced "harassment" and aggressive behaviour from China's coast guard and navy.Manila and Beijing have had a series of escalating confrontations in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China claims almost all the strategic waterway - through which $3 trillion in commerce moves annually - overlapping sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.Two Philippine fisheries vessels…

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed China's "dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea" with his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday and underscored the "ironclad" U.S. defense commitment to Manila."Secretary Rubio conveyed that (China's) behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law," the U.S. State Department said in a statement on the call with Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.The Philippines has been…

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.It said the crew were handed to Oman "in coordination" with the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza's war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas."The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes within the framework of our solidarity with Gaza and in support of the ceasefire agreement…

It is no secret that today's focus of the U.S. Navy is preparing for the possibility of conflict in the Pacific by 2027, and a recent maritime exercise with the U.S. and the Philippines in the South China Sea - the fifth such publicized exercise - is a move that will likely irk China.The Philippine military said in a statement it held a "maritime cooperative activity" with the U.S. on Friday and Saturday, its first for the year and fifth overall since launching the joint activities in 2023.Security engagements between the two allies have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.…

The Philippine navy said on Friday its ships were holding drills near a contested shoal in the South China Sea, a day after Manila and Beijing agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite ongoing disputes.The exercise around the Scarborough shoal, one of Asia's most hotly contested areas, was aimed at enhancing the navy's capability to secure what it said were Philippine waters and the country's territorial integrity, the navy said in a statement.It described…

The Philippines and China agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their disagreements in the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said on Thursday, as heated rows persist over vessels deployed around disputed features.The two countries on Thursday held a 10th round of talks under a bilateral consultation mechanism set up to address issues in the South China Sea, where disputes have been frequent and tense, with ties at their lowest point in years.Both…

China accused the Philippines on Friday of having "provoked trouble" in the South China Sea with U.S. backing, a week after Beijing and Manila traded accusations over a new confrontation in the disputed waters."The Philippine side, with U.S. support and solicitation, has been stirring up trouble in many spots in the South China Sea," Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's defence ministry, said on its official WeChat account."The Philippines is well aware that the scope of its territory is determined by a series of international treaties and has never included China's" Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, he added. Beijing and Manila have been involved this year in a series of confrontations at reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea…

Mining company Rio Tinto has reported that a deck fitter on board its bulk carrier RTM Zheng He, travelling from China to Western Australia, went missing.A deck fitter, named Gel Aguaviva, was reported missing on December 26, 2024.Rio Tinto said an extensive and ongoing search and rescue operation has been conducted over the past seven days, with the company working in collaboration with RTM Zheng He ship and crew manager, Anglo Eastern, and relevant authorities.The Philippine Coast Guard is leading the search and rescue operation."Our thoughts are with Gel's family…

The Philippines has deployed air and sea assets of its military and coast guard in its exclusive economic zone to monitor China's largest coast guard vessel, calling the ship's presence an act of Chinese "intimidation, coercion and aggression".According to the Philippine coast guard, the 165 m (541 ft) long vessel 5901, referred to by the Philippines as "the monster", was 65 to 70 nautical miles off the coast of the province of Zambales on Sunday."We have all our assets pointed at this monster ship.

Taiwan raised its alert level on Monday saying China has set up seven zones of reserved airspace and deployed naval fleets and coast guard boats in what a security source described as the first military drills across a broad swathe of the region's waters.A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that China currently has nearly 90 navy and coast guard ships in waters near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, of which around two-thirds were navy vessels.Beijing's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.China…

Austal Philippines has delivered a 32-meter catamaran to Rottnest Fast Ferries, less than twelve months after commencing construction in Balamban, Cebu.The vessel, named ‘Ocean Master’, designed by Incat Crowther, was officially accepted by representatives from Rottnest Fast Ferries following the successful completion of sea trials in November 2024.President of Austal Asia, Wayne Murray said the delivery was yet another demonstration of the proven capability of the Austal Philippines shipyard to construct world-class vessels of high-level designs…