ACTING DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Tuesday grounded the entire passenger fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines (ASL) as part of the investigation into the sinking incident in Basilan waters that has taken the lives of 18 people.
In a press conference in Zamboanga City, Lopez said the grounding is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order for a “full-blown investigation” into the sinking of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 incident on Monday.
“We are grounding the entire passenger fleet of ASL, and I’m asking MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) to conduct a maritime safety audit together with the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard),” he said.
Lopez gave MARINA and PCG 10 days to conduct a maritime safety audit, risk compliance and inspection of both ALS’s fleet and crew.
The result of the audit would be used to determine whether ALS would be allowed to continue its passenger shipping operations.
In addition, he ordered MARINA to submit a complete maritime safety audit of the entire domestic shipping fleet.
“We exact accountability to the ship owners, we will exact higher accountability sa gobyerno (to the government),” he said.
Since 2019, ALS has figured in a total of 32 maritime incidents, including the sinking of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.
“So, I’m asking MARINA, what did we do for the last how many years? Nasaan ang mga report? Ano ba yung mga pagkukulang natin? (Where are the reports? What are our shortcomings?)” he asked.
To help avoid similar incidents in the future, he said the investigation would also be used in drafting a department order that would revise policies on maritime safety enforcement.
“This is not just about going after whoever is responsible. Mas importante dito (What’s more important is) how to move forward, how to institutionalize policies para hindi na po maulit ang mga ganitong trahediya (so that similar incidents do not happen again),” he said.
Search and rescue
To date, the PCG continues its search and rescue (SAR) operations for 10 remaining missing persons from M/V Trisha Kerstin-eight crew members, the ship captain, and a PCG marshal who was onboard the ship during the incident.
The PCG and its partners in the SAR operation have so far rescued 316 people and found the bodies of 18 casualties.
It noted that the ship only had 344 people on board during the incident, not the 359 logged in the ship’s manifest due to several no-show passengers.
During the press conference, PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said six technical divers and their equipment have flown from Manila and will begin a technical dive into the ship wreck within the day.
A total of 16 divers will participate in the SAR operation, with the next batch of divers to arrive on Wednesday.
The PCG’s remotely operated vehicle has also been dispatched to investigate the wreck of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3. (PNA)
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