The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will inaugurate the MV Nilad on 30 June, a marine cleanup vessel donated by the Republic of Korea to strengthen the Philippines' efforts to reduce marine litter and protect Manila Bay.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna will lead the inauguration of the 25-meter vessel, which was provided through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the $8.2-million Enhancement of Marine Litter Management in Manila Bay Project.

"The MV Nilad strengthens even more our ability to address marine litter in Manila Bay, and more importantly, reflects how strong partnerships and shared responsibility can deliver real results for our environment and our people," Cuna said.

The vessel is equipped with a trash skimmer for collecting floating debris, a deck crane for unloading waste, and an oil boom for responding to oil spill incidents.

It will be jointly operated by the DENR, the Department of Transportation and the Philippine Coast Guard under a memorandum of agreement to be signed during the inauguration.

The five-year Philippines-Republic of Korea project seeks to improve solid waste management, strengthen environmental protection systems and promote behavioral change to reduce marine pollution.

According to a Marine Litter Monitoring Survey conducted by De La Salle University-Dasmariñas under the project, more than 6.5 million pieces of litter weighing over 203,000 kilograms remain scattered along Manila Bay's 190-kilometer coastline. Plastics account for 91 percent of the collected waste.

Despite the volume of pollution, the DENR said interventions are yielding results. The 2024 survey recorded a 36 percent reduction in litter volume and a 42 percent decrease in total waste weight compared with 2023.

The deployment of MV Nilad supports the country's commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 on reducing marine pollution and strengthens regional cooperation under the ASEAN+3 framework.