EDITORIAL - Unsafe sea transport

Not a rainy season passes in this country, it seems, without a deadly maritime disaster.

As of early evening yesterday, 86 people remained unaccounted for after a roll-on roll-off ferry caught fire as it approached Coron in Palawan.

The RORO June Aster, with 117 passengers on the manifest and 17 crew members, had set off from Manila at past 8 p.m. on Tuesday and was about an hour from its destination when the fire broke out at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

Responders from the Philippine Coast Guard said thick, acrid smoke from the burning vessel and strong currents hampered the rescue in the night. As the fire continued until yesterday afternoon, 43 people had been rescued, but five were confirmed dead.

Coast Guard personnel, citing stories from several survivors, said an explosion was heard from the cargo hold before the fire began spreading rapidly. Several people, some of them not wearing life vests, reportedly jumped into the water to escape the blaze and the suffocating smoke.

Thick smoke until yesterday afternoon prevented the rescuers from boarding the ferry to look for people who might be trapped inside the vessel.

Owned by Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., the RORO vessel had in its hold a forklift, an electric car, a pick-up van, five motorcycles and food commodities, among others.

The steel-hulled ferry was built in 2002 and was last inspected for seaworthiness on March 10 this year. The Coast Guard said the ferry was subjected to a pre-departure inspection before it left the Port of Manila.

Accidents happen, especially during inclement weather, but there’s always the possibility that the inspections missed something. And in this country, there’s also the possibility that the RORO breezed through a perfunctory inspection.

The accident revives concerns about maritime safety in an archipelago of 7,641 islands, where maritime disasters have become regular occurrences even during the dry season. The Maritime Industry Authority still has unresolved issues in carrying out its mandate, and has faced administrative and congressional probes.

Several MARINA and Coast Guard officials were sacked earlier this year following the sinking of the ferry Trisha Kerstin 3 on Jan. 26 off Basilan, with the vessel found to be overloaded and lacking life vests. At least 52 people died, with several others still missing in the disaster.

With this week’s ferry fire, transport officials must revisit those unresolved issues and review the enforcement of maritime safety rules.