This is one of three modern lighted ocean buoys from Spain that were assembled in Cebu. The buoys will be transferred and installed at the Philippine Rise, formerly known as the Benham Rise, an extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea. CDN Digital photo | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu—The first three of 10 modern lighted ocean buoys from Valencia, Spain that were assembled in Cebu will be sent to the Philippine Rise, formerly known as the Benham Rise, on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.
The buoys are currently kept at the Uni-Orient Pearl Venture Inc. shipyard in Consolacion town, northern Cebu and will be transferred and installed at the Philippine Rise, an extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea.
The bouys arrived in Cebu last Friday, May 7, and were assembled by the M-NAV Solutions, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and PCG Maritime Safety and Services Command (MSSC) with the assistance of the shipyard company.
The PCG will use the buoys to mark the area that is considered a critical part of the Philippine territory and designated as a food supply exclusive zone. It will also be used to ensure safe navigation.
The 30-foot long buoys are equipped with modern marine aids to navigation lanterns, specialized mooring systems, and a remote monitoring system that uses satellite technology to transmit data to PCG headquarters.
Engineer Adrian Van Boven, M-NAV Solutions AtoN Specialist, said the buoys will be deployed in strategic locations, that will be identified in their survey using the underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), to ensure that the depth and bathymetric nature of the site is suitable.
Boven said the the mooring system was designed for deep ocean conditions in the Benham region, and can withstand tough environmental conditions like typhoons.
Boven added that the buoys are not for detecting other vessels but they will transmit Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals that will report to nearby vessels that the area is a philippine territory.
It is estimated that it would take four days for the buoys to be sailed to the location. Installation will only take 1 to 2 hours.
/bmjo
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