The start of the four-day Regional Marine Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024, participated by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan, in this city on Tuesday, highlighted sustained cooperation among countries in Southeast Asia for the protection of the sea.

Vice Admiral Roy Echeverria of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Rear Admiral Jon Kenedi of Indonesia Directorate General of Sea Transportation, and Capt. Sase Koichi of Japan Coast Guard, the exercise co-directors, signed the joint declaration of the opening of the four-day exercise in a ceremony held at Acacia Hotel along the Bredco port.

The Philippines’ Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Maritime Julius Yano, the guest of honor and speaker, said he takes pride in the PCG being part of the cooperation and counterpart of the two other participating countries.

“As we continue to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and build strong partnerships through this exercise, let us embrace this opportunity to learn first-hand,” Yano said.

He noted that the PCG is recruiting yearly dedicated and passionate guardians of the sea, and one of the pillars of such service is protecting, preserving, and conserving the marine environment.

Yano mentioned the challenge faced by the Philippines during the oil tanker spill in Oriental Mindoro in 2023.

“This MARPOLEX is fitting and imperative not only for the PCG but also for the participating countries,” he added.

Rear Admiral Kanosue Hiroaki, head of the delegation of Japan, said securing the safety of the sea is very critical for supporting economic activities.

“For us, Japan Coast Guard, through workshops, exercises, and training jointly attended by some Association of Southeast Asian countries, further strengthen and develop our capacity-building in terms of oil spill control,” he said.

The conduct of the MARPOLEX 2024 is in line with the provisions of the Sulawesi Oil Spill Response Network Plan 1981 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Oil Spill Contingency 2018.

During the exercise proper on Wednesday, the vessels BRP Gabriela Silang of the Philippines, KN Trisula P.111 of Indonesia, and PLH 02 Tsugaru of Japan will join the exercises on search and rescue, firefighting, oil spill recovery, equipment recovery, and damage assessment.

This year’s MARPOLEX promotes initiatives for a regional cooperation mechanism to ensure the capability and readiness through interoperability of member countries in addressing pollution from oil spills.

It will, among others, test and evaluate the oil spill response capability of the Philippines and Indonesia, particularly during major oil spillage occurring near or along the shoreline of the exercise area in the Philippines.

Also, it will test current procedures and the capability of the Philippines and Indonesia in the oil spill recovery and response with the participation of the Japan Coast Guard and seek further employment and development.

Also joining the MARPOLEX 2024 are observers from the Coast Guards of the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan, as well as the National Southern Oil Spill Response Center of Vietnam, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited of the United Kingdom, and Oil Spill Response Ltd. from Singapore. (PNA)