CEBU CITY – The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has taken the necessary precautions to cushion the impact of the possible entry of super typhoon “Mawar.”
AS super typhoon ‘Mawar’ is poised to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility within the next few hours, several passengers on Friday, May 26, flocked to ticketing offices in Pier 1, Cebu City while no cancellation of trips have been declared yet. (Calvin D. Cordova)
“As the path of a super typhoon is unpredictable, the CPA has put in place various measures to prevent casualties, property damage, and ensure speedy resumption of port operations,” the CPA said in a statement.
The CPA has activated its Incident Command System in which round-the- clock monitoring of all ongoing port operations in Cebu will be conducted.
The CPA is managing 16 points in Cebu.
“All port managers and harbor masters were directed to perform their oversight functions over berth and anchorage areas that will involve movement of vessels, if necessary, in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard,” the CPA said.
The preparations also include the conduct of emergency meetings with all cargo handling service providers and timely reporting of any observed issues and concerns for corrective action.
As of Friday, May 26, no sea voyages have been cancelled in relation to the typhoon.
In case that tropical cyclone warning signal No. 1 is raised, the CPA will immediately issue notice to all ports to observe and implement necessary precautionary measures.
These necessary precautions are needed as part of the lessons learned from the devastation of typhoon ‘’Odette’’ in 2021, the agency said.
“The devastation experienced during the landfall of super typhoon ‘Odette’ that hit Cebu in 2021 still bears scars of its destructive power. Several vessels ran aground, capsized, sank and port facilities were damaged in the Port of Cebu,” the CPA said.