PCG: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a send off-ceremony today at Headquarters Coast Guard Ready Force, Pier 13, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila for its vessels and delegates who will participate in the a biennial maritime pollution exercise which will commence on 15-18 May 2017 dubbed as MARPOLEX Bali 2017 to be held in Benoa, Bali, Indonesia.

PCG Officer-in-Charge, Commodore Joel S Garcia PCG, Ph.D.,H.D., Al-Haj headed the send-off ceremony of the PCG contingent composed of search and rescue vessel, BRP Pampanga (SARV-003) and BRP Nueva Vizcaya (SARV-3502) with over 200 personnel from the Marine Environmental Protection Command who will participate in various evolutions such as oil spill containment, search and rescue and fire fighting exercise. Other participating vessels for the said exercise is a multi-role response vessel, BRP Tubbataha (MRRV-4401), and PCG tug boat, TB Habagat (TB-271). 

MARPOLEX Bali 2017 is the 21st bilateral exercise on maritime pollution between the Philippines and Indonesia. The two countries are alternately hosting said exercise since its establishment in 1986. Since 1995, the Japan Coast Guard has been also actively participating in the said event together with the PCG and Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transport (DGST).

Said exercise is held to ensure the capabilities of participating countries in addressing pollution from oil spill and it also aims to test the inter-operability of each country’s response organization in handling major oil spill incidents.

The conduct of this biennial exercise is a commitment of the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan in the implementation of the ASEAN Oil Spill Response Action Plan and the Sulawesi Oil Spill Network Response Plan.