Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV is urging the Upper House to look into the seaworthiness of domestic vessels following the recent sea mishap involving the MB Kim Nirvana in Ormoc, Leyte, that has so far claimed more than 50 lives.
Aquino said he hopes the appropriate Senate Committee will investigate safety standards of the country’s vessels and their capability to transport people when Senate sessions resume after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President on July 27.
In seeking for Senate action, Aquino pointed to reports that vessels plying domestic routes in the country are old and “might not be seaworthy.”
He said he filed a resolution last year to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the seaworthiness of vessels to ensure safe and efficient operations and avoid maritime accidents which have plagued the Philippine seas in the past decades.
Senate Resolution No. 652, submitted by Aquino in May 2014, noted that with more than 7,000 islands, transportation by sea is crucial to the Philippines. Aquino said seaworthiness is not just a trade issue, but also a public service concern, which was why he passed the resolution to the Senate Committee of Public Services.
The resolution has yet to be discussed, but he said he hopes this would be taken up before another sea mishap happens.
Aquino stressed the fact that eight of the deadliest ferry disasters in the country have occurred in the last two decades. These include sea tragedies involving three vessels owned by Sulpicio Lines, Inc.—MV Doña Paz in 1987, MV Doña Marilyn in 1988, and MV Princess of the Orient in 1998.
The worst maritime disaster in the country occurred in December 1987 when the Doña Paz ferry collided with a tanker, leaving more than 4,000 people dead, the senator said.
“Maritime accidents lead to tragic loss of lives and irreparable damage to the environment. These untoward accidents placed in jeopardy the credibility and competence of the maritime officials and employees,” Aquino said in his resolution.
Moreover, he noted that “the issues on the navigational experience of the concerned government agencies in handling the vessels as well as the training of the maritime officers at times of distress, and the seaworthiness of the vessel remained unanswered through the years.”
SR 652 said that due to the prohibitive cost of building or buying a new ship, Filipino shipping companies resort to buying second-hand ships from Japan. Since Japan bars shipping vessels of more than 20 years old to trade in its domestic waters, Japanese ship owners sell off to countries like Korea and the Philippines their over-aged ships at a cheaper cost.
Filipino buyers of these “old” ships then do alterations so the vessels can accommodate more passengers and heavier cargo loads to maximize profit, SR 652 said.
The 33-ton MB Kim Nirvana was carrying at least 199 passengers and crew during its regular trip to Camotes Island when it capsized several hundred meters off the port of Ormoc. As of July 4, the death toll has reached 59 and survivors numbered 142, including the captain of the ship.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier said MB Kim Nirvana could carry 194 people including 178 passengers and 16 crew members, but the casualty count of the city council shows the ship was carrying at least 198.
However, PCG said the ship might not have sunk due to overloading of passengers but from movement of cargoes allegedly not securely fastened, causing the weight of the ship to shift.
Multiple murder charges have been filed against the vessel’s owner Joge Bung Zarco, skipper Warren Oliverio, and 14 crew members.
Image courtesy of amenic181 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
