The Philippines To Endorse MOU On EAGA Non-Convention Sized Ships

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Feb 15 (Bernama) -- The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Wednesday announced that the Philippines will formally endorse the proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Non-Convention Sized Ships (NCSS) when the Sea Linkages Working Group of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) meets next month. The MoU aims to formalise intra-EAGA movement of non-convention sized ships through mutual recognition and monitoring of safety standards, security requirements, environmental protection and ship manning,” said MinDA chairman, Luwalhati R. Antonino, in a statement. Antonino, whose office also serves as the Philippine coordinating office for the BIMP-EAGA, said there has been some informal intra-EAGA voyages going on, but concrete data about these operations cannot be collected yet. Non-Convention Sized Ships are traditionally not permitted to sail international voyages, but once the MoU is approved, these existing operations within EAGA borders can be readily legalised, regulated and tracked. Antonino, who also serves as the Philippines Signing Minister for BIMP-EAGA, said the agreement seeks to facilitate negotiations for a harmonised BIMP-EAGA non-convention sized ships standards. In an inter-agency meeting by the Philippine members of the working group, officials reviewed the draft MoU and identified improvement areas to be presented at the BIMP-EAGA Sea Linkages Working Group meeting in Jakarta on March 1. The group agreed to have a pilot test of the MoU results in the country through the Tawi-tawi–Malaysia route. "The finalisation of the MoU will greatly benefit our small traders, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao areas as most of them are using wooden vessels for their merchandise trading with neighbouring countries,” Antonino said. The Maritime Industry Authority, the Philippines’ lead agency for the Sea Linkages Working Group, along with the Philippine Ports Authority, DOTC, and Philippine Coast Guard will be leading the in-country formulation of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR). They will also carry out port state control inspection on the NCSS of the other participating parties entering its national waters to verify if the condition of the NCSS meets the standards set in the IRR. "Safety is the main concern of the MoU, especially for passenger vessels,” said Ma. Concepcion Arbolario of MARINA. Arbolario said every country already has distinct regulations for NCSS operations but these need to be standardised along with relevant national certificates to create mutual benefits for the participating countries. “A harmonised regulation for the intra-EAGA NCSS operations will truly help our coast guards to enforce safety policies and sanctions for those who fail to oblige,” Arbolario said. BIMP-EAGA is an economic cooperation formally created in 1994, covering the border areas of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Its goals are spawning increased investments, trade and tourism within the Asean sub-region. -- BERNAMA