Coast guard vessels from Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines arrived at the BREDCO port in Bacolod City on Monday, June 24, for week-long joint exercises on how to effectively battle marine pollution, particularly oil spills.
There are about 500 coast guards from the three countries joining the regional Marine Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 that officially starts Tuesday, June 24, CG Capt. Weniel Azcuna, Coast Guard District Western Visayas commander, said.
The MARPOLEX, which is held every two years, is not part of the West Philippine Sea security preparations, its focus is on marine environmental protection, he said.
“The challenges posed by marine pollution require a unified and coordinated approach, and it is through exercises like MARPOLEX 2024 that we can achieve greater effectiveness and resilience.” Azcuna said.
The MARPOLEX will be held in the waters in the vicinity of Bacolod from Tuesday to Friday in line with the provisions of the Sulawesi Oil Spill Response Network Plan 1981 and the ASEAN Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan 2018.
The exercise promotes initiatives for regional cooperation mechanisms to ensure capability and readiness in addressing “pollution from oil spills”, Azcuna said.
The exercise will test and evaluate the effectiveness of the ASEAN Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan and coordinate and integrate response to oil spill incidents that may affect one or more ASEAN members.
The exercise will also train, develop, and enhance cooperation and capability in firefighting, search and rescue, oil spill recovery operation, environmental damage assessment, rehabilitation/clean-up, and environmental damage claims.
The exercise also has observers from the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Vietnam, along with representatives from Oil Spill Response Ltd, International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, and the International Maritime Organization, Azcuna said.
“The presence of our diverse and distinguished group of MARPOLEX delegates underscores the significance of this exercise and demonstrates our shared commitment to safeguarding our marine environment,” he said.
The commanding officers of the three participating vessels are CG Capt. Lawrence Roque of OPV 8301 BRP Gabriela Silang of the Philippines, Capt. Satria Aji Yudha of KN Trisula of P.111 of Indonesia and Capt. Mori Naoki of PLH02 Tsugaru of Japan.
“Let us seize this opportunity to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and inspire innovative solutions that will further strengthen our efforts in safeguarding our precious marine resources,” Roque said at the welcome rites.*