The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rendered arrival ceremony on Monday to its contingent made up of four vessels that participated in the Regional Marine Pollution Exercise (Marpolex) that was held in the waters of Indonesia and joined by its counterparts from that country and Japan.
The ceremony was led by PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu, who said the exercise has improved the organization’s strategies and techniques through effective assessment in combating oil spills and other maritime emergencies, which require search and rescue missions, firefighting and information operations.
“Our continuing partnership with the Directorate General for Sea Transportation [DGST] of Indonesia and the Japan Coast Guard [JCG] also strengthened our interoperability which was a victory for all of us! Our contingent brought pride not only to the PCG but also to the Philippines. They have represented our organization and our country with great pride and honor,” Abu said.
“I would like to convey my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the participants, planners, controllers, members of the task group, and the Secretariat who dedicated their efforts and time to make the Regional Marpolex 2022 an overwhelming success,” he added.
Abu conferred the “Outstanding Achievement Medal” to the officers and 374 other members of the contingent.
During the Marpolex, the PCG, DGST and JCG conducted search and rescue, firefighting and oil spill response to test, evaluate, and improve their maritime capabilities.
The biennial Marpolex is an implementation of the 1981 Sulawesi Sea Oil Spill Response Network Plan Agreement. The Regional Marpolex 2022 was the 22nd conduct of the maritime exercise since its creation in 1986.