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Comment on New paradigm for maritime websites by SOLAR TRAINING DIY SOLAR PANEL PV PHOTOVOLTAIC HARBOR FREIGHT SOLAR ENERGY SOLAR PANEL KITS | GrantGift.com | US Government Grants for Free!

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:33:34 +0000

[...] New paradigm for maritime websites [...]

Comment on New paradigm for maritime websites by Barista Uno

Barista Uno — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:57:30 +0000

Thanks for your comment. The Transas ECDIS site seems to be geared more toward their clientele, whilst e-Navigation.com is more of a forum site apparently inspired by social media. Interesting concept. We could blog about your project if you would give us some more information. Alternatively, you can whip up a short article and we’ll post it with your by-line.

Comment on New paradigm for maritime websites by Ryan Skinner

Ryan Skinner — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:39:37 +0000

It’s one of many such efforts. Another is http://www.e-navigation.com (disclosure: I work with this one).

The wave of ECDIS investments is driving everyone to seek the role of industry’s trusted info provider. Combine that with the slow maturation of online comms in this industry, and you have the perfect ECDIS info storm!

Comment on What a difference two decades make by Barista Uno

Barista Uno — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:07:20 +0000

Valid observation. I’ll throw in the Government’s equivocation on the 1995 Mining Act, which is discouraging foreign investors and preventing the mining sector from increasing its output. But for how long can we keep blaming the state regulators and policymakers? In the final analysis, it is ordinary citizens who produce the goods and it is private companies that export them. The question is how many are actually interested in production and export. I think the blog post suggested the answer.

Comment on What a difference two decades make by Noel Tan

Noel Tan — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:24:44 +0000

Weak government regulatory and development policies and inefficient bureaucracy may still be the strongest reason for the decline of the Philippine economy. We used to be the only country exporting abaca (hence the name Manila hemp), now we have Ecuador to contend with. We allowed abaca seed pieces from Davao to be smuggled to Ecuador, thus it was able to develop a 5,000 hectare plantation with modern processing facilities.

The only improvement in our abaca processing system, invented centuries ago, was the introduction of the 1 HP gas engine in the 1940’s. Processing of abaca remains labor intensive, wasteful and poor in quality.

Abaca used to be our number 16 consistent export. Now, we are importing from Ecuador.

Our government had not given importance to industries where we have the salient advantage and instead tried to ride on the bandwagon of more popular industries. Case in point is the development of the palm oil industry, leaving in the sidelines our own coconut industry. Thailand took advantage of our complacency and now controls non-industrial coconut products exported to the US.

We let Australia bully us that until today, we have not exported a single finger of banana into that country. We have not regulated foreign shipping from charging us onerous Terminal Handling Charge (THC) for FOB shipments making our export cost higher even if shippers are already paying arrastre charges directly to the cargo handling operator. Mindanao transshipment cargoes are assessed by PPA and its authorized cargo handling operators wharfage dues three times, handling charges three times, and twice for weighing.

How can traditional industries, the driving force of our yesterday’s export , compete under this atmosphere?

You can buy Manila mango in California and Manila paper almost anywhere in the world. Are these products exported from the Philippines? The answer is No and there’s the answer why the Philippines is way below in the list of the biggest boxports in the world.

Comment on What a difference two decades make by Barista Uno

Barista Uno — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:45:08 +0000

Thanks for your comment, John.

The Top 20 boxports for 1989 included only the Port of Manila. Even if Subic’s volume that year were added, Manila’s ranking wouldn’t have changed. As far as I can recall, box throughput at Subic – shortly before the US forces left and APL was still calling there – was hitting no more than 60,000 TEUs a year.

The thing is the Philippines’ containerised cargo market has always been miniscule. Last year total nationwide throughput was 4 million TEUs, of which 2.4 million TEUs were import/export shipments. Unfortunately, neither the government nor the private business sector has paid enough attention to this fact.

Comment on Where human life is very cheap by John Miele

John Miele — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:13:20 +0000

Barista: I’m reminded about a visit to the APM show around six or seven years ago. My company had a “man overboard” device that was cheap and effective, plotting the wearer’s location on the ECDIS when someone fell overboard. We had a stand, hired a girl to stand there, wearing a skimpy bikini, in a kiddie pool. We dumped a bucket of water over her head, and the pendant alarmed. One of the executives from a SE Asian oil company was standing there watching and muttering, “That won’t work!” I said, “Of course it works, here’s her location and see the alarm?” His response, in total seriousness was, “You don’t understand… If one of our crew fall overboard, it is cheaper to keep going and pay the widow!”

Thus, the value of human life in some places.

Comment on What a difference two decades make by John Miele

John Miele — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:07:40 +0000

Barista: One additional explanation is that in 1989, both Subic and Clark were still major US bases that required huge amounts of materiel to be shipped in and out of the country. Not disputing your assertions in the least, but rather, just mentioning another, most likely significant, impact.