CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard will soon be deploying three of the 10 modern lighted ocean buoys to the Philippine Rise after its arrival in Cebu port on May 3, 2021.
PCG Commandant Admiral George Ursabia inspected the buoys Monday. He said the arrival of the buoys will enhance their capability to monitor and safeguard the Philippine Rise, formerly known as the Benham Rise. These will also help in the security of the country’s coastline in the eastern side as well as ensure safety for shipping’s navigation.
Ursabia said the installation of these buoys at the Philippine Rise, which contains a marine resource reserve of 352,390 hectares, signals that mining and oil exploration are prohibited in the area.
The three sets of buoys were shipped from Valencia, Spain on March 19, 2021. It was expected to arrive in Cebu 40 days later but due to the blockage at the Suez Canal the arrival was delayed by five days.
The buoys were assembled at Uni-Orient Ventures Inc. shipyard in Consolacion by M-NAV Solutions. After the initial inspection yesterday, the buoys will be loaded to MV Morning Light in preparation for transport to Benham Rise.
Due to the ecological importance of the area, a hybrid chain/Dyneema mooring system was designed to ensure that no chain touches the ocean floor which would potentially damage the mesophotic corals that are endemic to the area.
The Rise has been designated as a “protected food supply exclusive zone” by the Philippine government since May 2017when President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 25 renaming it to “Philippine Rise ” and asserted full national jurisdiction. — FPL (FREEMAN)