(Cebu, Philippines – May 28, 2015) The Philippine Coast Guard will host this year’s marine pollution exercise entitled “MARPOLEX CEBU 2015” on 26-29 May in Cebu Strait, Talisay, Cebu, Philippines. 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 (OSRAP) and the Sulawesi Sea Oil Spill Network Response Plan. Both action plans are regional cooperation mechanism that promotes marine environmental protection against oil pollution. Local stakeholders and representatives will be invited to witness the exercise.

The significant number of oil spill incidents in the previous year’s resulted to the establishment of this regional cooperation mechanism with the purpose of ensuring the capability and readiness of member 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 last MARPOLEX was conducted in Makassar, Indonesia in 2013. Philippines and Indonesia alternately hosts this Exercise. MARPOLEX Cebu is the 19th Bilateral Exercise on marine pollution between the two (2) countries since its establishment in 1986. Japan Coast Guard is a regular participant since 1995 and this year JCG will be sending one (1) team composed of four (4) officers who are experts on marine environmental protection, maritime security and safety. This year’s exercise is designed to test the response strategies of the Philippines and Indonesia in a major oil spill incidents, or to a tier level incident (involving min of 1M liters of spilt oil).

This year’s exercise will involve more than three hundred (300) participants both from the Philippine Coast Guard, Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST) and Japan Coast Guard. Three (3) of PCG’s major vessels and several supporting sea and air assets will be employed for the purpose of this exercise. Indonesia will send five (5) of its vessels, KN Kalimasada, KN Gandiwa, KN Kalawai, KN Trisula and KN Chundamani to participate in the exercise’s search and rescue, firefighting and oil spill recovery drills. Foreign observers were invited to this activity to encourage their participation in future exercises.

The exercise will be formally opened on May 27, 2015 at JSU-PSU Mariner’s Court, Cebu City. The actual exercise will be held on May 28, 2015 at Cebu Strait, Talisay, Cebu City and will be witnessed aboard the platform vessel BRP Batangas (SARV-004).

COMMO ELSON E HERMOGINO PCG, Commander of the Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) is designated as the PH Exercise Co-Director and his counterpart is DIAN LESMANA of Indonesia’s Directorate of Sea Transportation (DGST). COMMO ENRICO EFREN A EVANGELISTA PCG, his area being chosen as the venue of the exercise and the host District is designated as the Task Group Commander. The PCG delegation will be headed by ADM RODOLFO D ISORENA PCG, Commandant – Philippine Coast Guard.