BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) together with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, MCS-3001 departed at the Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard to conduct maritime security operation at the vicinity waters of Benham Rise today, May 3.

The operation aims to monitor the Joint Fisheries Research activity in the said waters.

Benham Rise is a 13-million-hectare underwater plateau located near Aurora. In 2009, The Philippines claimed this feature as part of its continental shelf in a claim lodged with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. This claim was then approved under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2012. 

According to marine experts, the Benham Rise is about 2,000 to 5,000 meters deep and is rich with natural gas and other resources.

MRRV 4403 BRP Malapascua is under the helm of CDR GARY DALE C GIMOTEA PCG while MCS 3001 is skippered by CAPT LUISITO S SIBAYAN PCG.