Lawyer Joseph Donato Bernedo, PHIVIDEC-IA Administrator and CEO, highlights the importance of the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) in improving navigational safety and port operations during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Coast Guard. The system will help monitor vessel movements in Macajalar Bay and ensure secure operations at PHIVIDEC-IA’s ports. (Photo: DCC/PIA-10)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PHIVIDEC-IA) has partnered with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to install a Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) control tower to improve navigational safety and port operations.
PHIVIDEC-IA, an agency under the Department of National Defense, manages the MCT and the 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental.
Lawyer Joseph Donato Bernedo, PHIVIDEC-IA administrator and chief executive officer, said VTMS is a necessary investment, given the expansion of the MCT and the increasing number of vessels operating in the area.
The VTMS will provide real-time vessel movement data, reducing the risk of unauthorized vessels entering the area and improving traffic management in Macajalar Bay. It will also help minimize collision risks by adjusting vessel movement patterns.
Bernedo added that the system will monitor vessels entering and leaving MCT and other PHIVIDEC-IA ports used by its locators. The radar will cover the entire Macajalar Bay, identifying vessels by name, specifications, and port of origin.
“PHIVIDEC has 14 other ports aside from the Mindanao Container Terminal. These ports were built by our locators as part of their operations as they have to bring in raw materials or ship out finished products. With the VTMS, we will be able to monitor these ports along with our main port. We can assure locators that ships and cargo will not be lost,” Bernedo said.
He also noted that the system will ensure ships pay required port fees before entering or leaving the ports.
“Karon dili na basta-basta makasulod ang barko nga dili mo-anchor or dili mobayad. We will be able to monitor the ingress and egress of our vessels so basically ma-secure ang revenue that is due to the government,” he emphasized.
(Now, ships cannot just enter without anchoring or without paying. We will be able to monitor the entry and exit of our vessels, which will essentially ensure that the revenue due to the government is secured.)
Bernedo clarified that while the PCG will operate the VTMS, PHIVIDEC-IA and its operator, Mindanao International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (MICTSI), will have 24/7 access to the system. (APB/PIA-10)
