Commercial vessels told to follow Verde Island traffic scheme

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday reminded commercial vessels transiting the Verde Island Passage to comply with the traffic separation scheme (TSS) established for the area. Vice Admiral Wilfredo D. Tamayo, PCG chief, also ordered a strict enforcement of the scheme amid reports that some ships sailing from Manila to the Visayas and vice versa are trying to cut corners by passing through Maricaban, which is a marine estuary. “Considering the volume and sizes of vessels transiting the area, it is imperative that masters of every vessel strictly follow the TSS and not to ‘cut corners’ so as not to endanger the safety of other passing vessels, their passengers and the environment, the area being a site to numerous marine sanctuaries," Tamayo said. He warned that ship masters caught taking shortcuts face either suspension or revocation of their licenses. Tamayo further appealed to all masters of vessels to report to the Coast Guard other vessels that they may witness not following the Verde Island TSS. A TSS is a routing measure aimed at separating opposing traffic by establishing traffic lanes at sea. It is like roads being used in land transportation, except that sea lanes are imaginary. Lanes and boundaries of the TSS are already reflected in nautical charts printed by National Mapping Resource Agency. Procedures in transiting the Verde Island passage is covered by Memorandum Circular 04-03 (Routing System at Verde Island Passage) issued by the PCG in 2003. The TSS was established to provide order and ensure the safety of navigation in the area, it being a major thoroughfare for ships going to or coming from the Port of Manila. Before the PCG first established the TSS in 1993, the area, which is located between Batangas and Mindoro, was an accident prone area where several near-miss accidents had been reported. The TSS system is widely used internationally in major and congested shipping routes such as the Dover Strait between England and France and Tokyo Bay in Japan. The TSS is necessary for efficiency of maritime traffic and more importantly, for ships’ collision avoidance. - GMANews.TV