Canada satellite system to help Philippines detect 'dark' vessels

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The Philippines will soon be able to detect "dark" ships sailing in Philippine waters undetected, thanks to Canada's satellite-based Dark Vessel Detection program.

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman earlier said Canada and the Philippines are looking to sign a deal that would give Manila free access to the dark vessel detection program.

• Canada balak patibayin ang ugnayang militar sa Pilipinas

In an interview, maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal said use of Canada's dark vessel detection program would help the Philippines be more strategic in securing its territorial waters.

He said public or open source monitoring systems usually track vessels via automatic identification system (AIS) or transponders of vessels. Those transponders, however, can be turned off to avoid detection.

"'Yung mga transponder, pwedeng patayin 'yun. Marami ring vessels na hindi covered nun, 'yung mga less than 500 gross tons 'yung weight, hindi na siya mandatory," he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

''Yun 'yung advantage nung ino-offer ng Canada, na pati 'yung maliliit na barko na walang AIS o kaya nagpapatay ng AIS or 'yung mga barko na hindi kailangang mag AIS katulad ng military and law enforcement vessels - actually pwede nilang patayin 'yun to conduct 'yung enforcement operations - makikita pa rin 'yun gamit nga itong ilang satellite ng Canada," he added.

Detection of dark vessels would also help stop uninhibited fishing in Philippine waters, he said.

As part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy released in November last year, Canada plans to increase its naval presence and other military assets in the region to “mitigate coercive behavior and threats to regional security."

According to its Indo-Pacific Strategy, “Canada will work hand-in-hand with ASEAN and its member states to ensure full respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in the South China Sea.”

It will also work with allies “to boost awareness of the region and enhance resilience and preparedness, as well as to protect against coercive tactics and the theft of sensitive data, technology and intellectual property from our companies and research organizations.”