U.S. Navy, Philippines Agree to Joint Hydrographic Surveys
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060609-14
Release Date: 6/9/2006 2:24:00 PM
From Naval Oceanographic Office Public Affairs
MANILA, Philippines (NNS) -- The Navy signed a multi-year agreement with the Republic of the Philippines in April to perform joint hydrographic surveys that will improve navigational safety for military and commercial ships operating in Philippine waters.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) concludes nine years of negotiations between the Navy and Philippine officials. It was signed by Rear Adm. Timothy McGee, commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), and Undersecretary Diony A. Ventura, administrator of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, Republic of the Philippines.
McGee said the MOU benefits both nations and supports the theatre strategy of Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT). “In addition, this important agreement promises improved safety of navigation in a wide array of waterways,” he said.
Hydrographic surveys enhance safe navigation by precisely measuring water depths and pinpointing locations of sunken craft and other underwater obstructions. The primary products of surveys are nautical charts used by both military and civilian mariners.
Survey data gathered through the new agreement will include positioning, water depths, tides, currents, bottom samples, temperature profiles and aids to navigation.
The five-year agreement calls for both parties to cooperate in gathering and charting data on harbors, coastal waterways and harbor approaches in Philippine waters. It also specifies that surveys be performed in accordance with standards of the International Hydrographic Organization and that information gleaned from the surveys be fully shared by the two governments.
“This data sharing is a reaffirmation of our longstanding relationship with the Philippine government,” said Capt. Andrew Brown III, commanding officer of the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) at SSC.
McGee signed the historic agreement April 13 at CNMOC headquarters at the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi. It was then presented to Ventura for his signature in Manila, Republic of the Philippines, by Brown.
The memorandum was enacted in support of COMPACFLT's security cooperation program and involved cooperation by the U.S. Defense Attaché Office in Manila.
NAVOCEANO, a subordinate command to CNMOC, is responsible for planning and performing the joint maritime surveys with NAMRIA.
The agreement marks the first joint NAMRIA-NAVOCEANO surveys since the 1970s.
Thomas J. Cuff, director of NAVOCEANO’s Far East Regional Office in Singapore, said the agreement will lead to critical navigational updates in waters frequently traveled by many vessels, including U.S. Navy ships.
“Many of these areas have not been surveyed for 50 years or more, and very few have been surveyed to the latest technological standards,” Cuff said. “NAMRIA’s Coast and Geodetic Survey Department is very competent but limited in resources. With only two survey ships and thousands of miles of waterways, producing and updating nautical charts is a daunting task. We will greatly enhance their capacity through this joint project.”
“What NAVOCEANO brings to the table is lots of expertise in surveying,” Cuff added.
The need for updated hydrographic information in the Philippines was underscored in October 2005 when the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior II ran aground 400 miles southeast of Manila, damaging more than 1,000 feet of endangered coral reef. The ship had been navigating with an old, inaccurate chart that indicated Rainbow Warrior was still a mile and a half from the coral reef when the incident occurred.
NAVOCEANO will provide its expertise and personnel to participate in planning and execution of survey operations, as well as technical support in calibration, maintenance and repair of survey-associated electronic equipment.
Navy representatives will also familiarize NAMRIA personnel with surveying techniques and data processing procedures.
The agreement facilitates joint cooperative surveys by both U.S. Navy and NAMRIA survey vessels.
The Philippines comprise an archipelago located between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam. The country includes 7,107 islands and more than 2,000 miles of waterways.
For related news, visit the Pacific Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cpf/.
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