The BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino. (Photo courtesy of PCG)
MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed its two new 97-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRV) in a two-day joint towing exercise in waters off Manila Bay from Wednesday to Thursday.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the PCG said the two MRRVs -- BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino -- and their crew will train in “handling emergency towing gear, selecting the correct tow line, and throwing tow lines properly to get hold of the ship.”
Commander Erwin Tolentino, commanding officer of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, said the training is necessary to ensure the ships’ crews know how to properly conduct emergency towing and avoid improper or unsafe connections.
"This error may cause towing lines to fall into the propellers. We need to avoid this incident because towing equipment will malfunction if this happens," Tolentino said.
On the first day of the towing exercise, participating ships displayed “day shapes” or signals indicating the status of a vessel to other ships on navigational waters during daylight.
As part of the exercise, the PCG also observed the compliance of its sailing crew in compliance with the ‘International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea: Rules of the Road (1972)’ and the International Safety and Management (ISM) Code.
During the training exercise, representatives from the Japan Coast Guard – Mobile Cooperation Team and United States Coast Guard – Mobile Training Team acted as observers to provide feedback to the PCG. (PNA)
