PH, Japan, Indonesia coast guards hold joint exercises vs marine pollution

The Indonesian Coast Guard arrives for the Regional Marine Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 among the coast guards of the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan at the BREDCO port in Bacolod City. (via Carla P. Gomez/Philippine Daily Inquirer)

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Coast guard vessels from three countries arrived at the BREDCO port here on Monday, June 24, for week-long joint exercises on how to effectively battle marine pollution, particularly oil spills.

About 500 personnel from Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines joined the Regional Marine Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 that officially started on Tuesday, June 25, said Capt. Weniel Azcuna, Coast Guard District Western Visayas commander.

The MARPOLEX will be held in the waters off Bacolod until June 28 in line with the provisions of the Sulawesi Oil Spill Response Network Plan 1981 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan 2018.

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“The exercise promotes initiatives for regional cooperation mechanisms to ensure capability and readiness through interoperability of member countries in addressing pollution from oil spills,” Azcuna said.

The exercise will test and evaluate the effectiveness of the Asean Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, as well as coordinate and integrate responses to oil spills 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 operations, environmental damage assessment, rehabilitation/clean-up, and environmental damage claims.

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The exercise 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.

“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,” Azcuna 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,” he added.

The commanding officers of the three participating vessels are Capt. Lawrence Roque of OPV 8301 BRP Gabriela Silang of the Philippines, Capt. Satria Aji Yudha of KN TRISULA – P.111 of Indonesia and Capt. Mori Naoki of PLH02 Tsugaru of Japan.