Hong Kong ship owner, officers charged over sea mishap

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and damage to property against the owner and seven officers of the M/V Vienna Wood in connection with a recent collision in the waters off Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.

Charged were Vienna Wood captain Zhang Weiwei; deck officers Yang Xifeng, Yi Lei, and Shi Bin, and engineers Fan Qoujin, Xia Zhen and Wang Xingtu.

Cmdr. Leovigildo Panopio, chief of the  PCG Southern Tagalog District, said shipping company Nomikos Transworld Maritime, which owns and operates Vienna Wood, was also named respondent in the complaint.

The charges were filed at around 10:50 a.m. at the sala of Prosecutor Rowena Garcia-Villaflores of the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Occidental Mindoro.

The charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide were based on evidence and testimonies of the fishermen who were at the scene when the incident occurred, according to Cmdr. Armand Balilo, spokesman for the PCG.

“It is now up to the prosecutor to determine if homicide is appropriate. It would also depend on the appreciation of the court. We will submit evidence and explain the search conducted by the Coast Guard and other agencies to locate the 14 missing Filipinos who were on board the F/B Liberty 5,” Balilo said.

Of the 20 Chinese officers and crewmembers of Vienna Wood, only seven were named respondents in the complaint, Panopio said.

The officers are still onboard Vienna Wood, which is docked at the Port of Batangas.

“We will ask the court to issue a hold order against the respondents as the charges filed against them are bailable,” Panopio said.

“If they will be allowed to leave the country, there is a possibility that they would no longer return to face the complaint filed against them. Only their lawyers and insurance agents will represent them,” he added.

Panopio said he would met with officials of Liberty 5 owner Irma Fishing and Trading Inc., which earlier filed a separate criminal complaint against  the officers and crewmembers of Vienna Wood.

He said he would ask the company to seek a hold order against the officers of the Hong Kong-registered vessel.

Vienna Wood is reportedly undergoing repair as it sustained holes at the front and bottom following the collision on June 27.

A classification society and insurance representative inspected the vessel last week to determine if Vienna Wood could be allowed to leave after the repair and be certified seaworthy.

It has been 10 days since the collison, but the search and rescue team has yet to recover the remains of any of the 14 Filipinos.

Welcomed

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims welcomed the filing of charges against Vienna Wood’s owner and officers.

Judith Azucena, partner of Liberty 5 crewmember Joeffrey Bantug, expressed hope the respondents would be tried and detained in the Philippines.

Christine Magura, cousin of Liberty 5 engineer Reynil Magura, expressed fear the country’s ties with China might hamper their efforts to attain justice. Neil Jayson Servallos