The Philippines and the United States governments have joined forces to enhance maritime safety in the Philippines through the implementation of a Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS).
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson signed an agreement on March 1 in an important step towards this goal.
The agreement not only marks a partnership between the Philippines and the U.S. but also includes provisions for financial assistance to facilitate a feasibility study for VTMS implementation at 10 key locations across the country.
“This information gathering tool will prove to be viral not just for sea traffic coordination, but also provide our Coast Guard with advanced communication redundancy,” Secretary Bautista said.
The transport chief also stressed that the project may also be a “counter-measure to reported incidents of signal jamming” in the country’s economic zones.
For her part, U.S. Ambassador Carlson conveyed her warm appreciation to the Philippine Government, and assured the continued roll of fruitful and future-forward partnership towards maritime development and enhancement.
“We are pleased to partner with Philippine authorities to develop an expanded VTMS to better manage maritime traffic, to prevent vessel collisions, and to protect marine environments,” U.S. Ambassador Carlson remarked.
