Japan’s NTT World Engineering Marine Corporation (NTT WE Marine) has commissioned its newest submarine cable maintenance vessel, the VEGA II – in Manila amid growing demand for better connectivity infrastructure in the Philippines.
Japan Ambassador ENDO Kazuya attended the commissioning of VEGA II on March 27, 2025. Also in attendance were Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian C. Dy, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Arnaldo M. Lim, officials from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (JCCIPI), NTT Communications, and other commercial enterprises.
The commissioning of VEGA 11 also marked NTT WE Marine’s 25th year of operations in the Philippines.
The VEGA II is the result of the latest investment of NTT WE Marine, known for Japan’s advanced technological capabilities, in the submarine cable maintenance business. It will be operating as a Philippine–flagged vessel, thereby generating more job opportunities for Filipinos. Further, the VEGA II is expected to strengthen the maintenance capabilities for submarine cables in the Philippines’ surrounding waters.
In his speech, Ambassador Endo recognized that in honing capacity building in telecommunications infrastructure, a greater level of trust and reliability can be achieved in an increasingly interconnected world.
