‘Maritime regulators must be strict to avoid ship accidents’

MANILA, Philippines — Government maritime regulators must give primacy to ensuring the seaworthiness of ships and other vessels to prevent disasters such as the massive oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress off the coast of Oriental Mindoro, a senator said this week.

Sen. Bong Go particularly called out the Department of Transportation, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and Philippine Coast Guard to be strict in maintaining maritime regulations and standards for sea vessels.

“Whoever regulates the ships, vessels, MARINA, Coast Guard, etc., strictly restrict how far they can sail, so that this kind of incident does not happen again. The oil has done a lot of damage spilling in Mindoro,” Go told reporters covering his aid distribution to fire victims in Binondo, Manila recently.

He expressed belief that tightening regulations is essential to ensuring that all ships are safe for operation, noting discrepancies in MT Princess Empress’ permits when it sank in waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro last Feb. 28.

“Reports from the agencies differ; some say the permits are complete, while others say they are not. Be it an oil tanker or a passenger vessel, it is important to ensure that the ship is safe and its papers complete before sailing,” he said.

Under these circumstances, the senator noted the need to consolidate the reports from various agencies concerned in order to determine what really happened.

Go emphasized that those responsible for the oil spill, which has caused significant damage to the environment and adversely affected the livelihoods and health of many residents of affected areas of the province, should be held accountable.

Based on the Department of Tourism’s most recent assessment alone, the oil spill has damaged 63 tourism sites, putting the livelihood of 1,000 tourism workers in peril. The DOT vowed to provide training for alternative livelihoods for these workers.

Meanwhile, Go thanked the private sector and other countries now aiding efforts to contain the oil spill, among them Japan and the United States which have sent experts and teams to help in assessment and cleanup operations.