BMI: Sulpicio liable in Princess of the Stars disaster

MANILA, Philippines – The ships of Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) might again be grounded after the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) recommended to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to order the shipping firm to stop its vessels from sailing. 

Among the recommendations to the Marina of the six-man board led by Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag that conducted the investigation on the sinking of the SLI-owned M/V Princess of the Stars was to “consider the suspension of the Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) of SLI in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations.”

The STAR tried to get the comment of SLI’s lawyers, but they could not be reached.

At present, only SLI cargo ships and two passenger ships, namely M/V Princess of the Earth and M/V Cotabato Princess, have been allowed to sail.

Concluding that the accident was caused by human error, the BMI also suggested that the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) revoke the Master Mariner Board Registration Certificate of the ship’s master Captain Florencio Marimon Sr., Captain Nestor Ponteres, SLI’s port captain of Cebu; and Captain Benjamin Eugenio, port captain of Manila.

Marimon was one of over 600 people on board the vessel still missing after the Princess of the Stars sank at the height of typhoon “Frank” off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 21.

More than 200 bodies were recovered.

BMI chairman Liwag said in a 62-page final report that while Marina has already started conducting its seaworthiness tests on the SLI fleet, there was need to re-assess the conditions of the ships. “We want the defects in the system to be corrected.”

He clarified that this should be implemented even if only one of the firm’s ships sank off the coast of Sibuyan Island.

They noticed that in the case of the Princess of the Stars, there were lapses.

The certificate of stability issued by Marina reflected a 6.18-meter maximum loadable draft but Marina Region 7 Director Glenn Cabanes said that there was a “typographical error” and that it should have been 6.78 meters as recommended by Sarangani Engineering Works.

“As previously discussed, the maximum loadable draft of 6.78 meters is not consistent with the loadline certificate. The discrepancy lies in the fact that the board used the depth of 9 meters in determining the maximum loadable draft which is based on the original plan.” Since then there have been modifications made on the ship.

The BMI also said that SLI “failed to exercise extraordinary diligence” because it failed to apprise the master of the potential impact of typhoon Frank while it was at port and when it sailed to sea; it failed to discourage the master from proceeding on its intended voyage despite severe weather conditions along the route; failed to assess the direction of the vessel and the storm from 12 midnight of June 20 until 6 a.m. the next day; it also failed to monitor the conditions of the vessel, passengers and cargo during that critical moment.”

SLI also violated a CPC provision wherein SLI shall carry at all times on board the ship a copy of relevant Marina, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) circulars and issuances particularly the revised guidelines on movements of vessels during heavy weather; failed to implement the International Safety Management (ISM) policy; there appeared to be a lack of knowledge of the SLI officials and personnel on the ISM manual when they appeared before the BMI; failed to recognize the emergency exits which could have led to activating of the shore emergency response plan of the company; and there was no Shipboard Procedure Manual in case a vessel had to leave port and would pass by an area where there is a typhoon condition or along its route.

BMI said the shipping firm should consider the suspension of its safety officer; the safety or quality officers and port captains should undergo special training on weather monitoring and the potential danger to all vessels; the masters of other SLI vessels should also be given refresher courses in typhoon monitoring and typhoon evasion techniques; and the officers and crew should familiarize themselves with their respective roles in every emergency situation.

Captain Marimon allegedly committed 10 omissions, the BMI said in its report.

“The master failed to exercise ordinary diligence in discharging his responsibility under the Quality Safety Management System (QSMS) manual to ensure the safety of his crew, the safe operation of his vessel and pollution prevention and at the same time protecting the owner’s commercial interest.”

He also reportedly failed to assess the potential dangers of typhoon Frank and did not properly monitor the movement of storm in relation to the ship’s direction. The vessel’s mean draft of 6.20 meters was greater than the maximum loadable draft of 6.18 meters as indicated by Marina. He also failed to use other tools such as the barometer or the Buy Ballots Law that would have been helpful to avoid the natural calamity.