TAGOLOAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 29 March) – The Philippine Coast Guard has installed an enhanced radar system at the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan town to monitor incoming and outgoing vessels in Macajalar Bay, Misamis Oriental. PCG Vice Admiral Edgar Ybañez stated that the Vessel Traffic and Monitoring System (VTMS) can detect vessels via their Automatic Identification System (AIS), which transmits the vessel’s identification, position, course, and speed. The system aims to prevent vessel collisions, coordinate search and rescue operations, and monitor up to 36 nautical miles of Macajalar Bay. Ybañez noted that this is the first VTMS installed at a Mindanao port. Once a ship’s AIS is detected, its position is tracked on the system’s Electronic Chart Display until it exits the area. PHIVIDEC administrator lawyer Joseph Donato Bernedo welcomed the installation, emphasizing its role in monitoring 15 ports operated by concessionaires within the 3,000-hectare industrial estate in Tagoloan and Villanueva towns. Bernedo highlighted the need for enhanced monitoring due to increased vessel traffic from the construction of an additional berth. The previous radar system, donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, ceased functioning in 2008. Bernedo expressed confidence that the new system will improve tracking of vessel movements in and out of the ports. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
