Competency of mariners questioned after Philippine ferry disaster

Manila: A seafarer’s group questioned the competence of mariners at the helm of a ship that figured in a recent accident in Cebu as it said that its officers should undergo proficiency tests before another disaster occurs.

Engineer Nelson Ramirez, president of the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) said the regulating body, the Maritime Industry Authority or the “MARINA” should ensure that the ships sailing in the country are manned by competent crew so that unnecessary loss of lives can be avoided.

“If Marina inspectors had conducted a competency assessment on all the master mariners and other officers, chances are this kind of major maritime disasters could have been avoided,” Ramirez stressed as he referred to the August 6 collision between the cargo ship MV Sulpicio Express Siete (7) and the MV Saint Thomas Aquinas in the sea off Talisay City in Cebu, Central Philippines.

Officers of the two ships had survived the collision but dozens of passengers of the MV Saint Thomas Aquinas were not as fortunate. So far, 94 people were confirmed killed from the accident.

At the time the tragedy struck, the MV St. Thomas Aquinas, passenger/roll-on-roll-off cargo vessel was carrying more than 800 passengers. 733 survived the mishap.

On Friday, one of the witnesses, a deck officer, said the Sulpicio Siete was sailing on the wrong sea lane.

“Based on the testimony of the captain of the ship that M/V Sulpicio Express Siete occupied the other lane, the more MARINA has the reason to conduct competency assessment on all the officers of Sulpicio Lines vessels,” Ramirez said.

Ships travelling in busy sea lanes are governed by an imaginary lane in pre-arranged sailing routes. When a collision occurs between two or more vessels, it is assumed that either or both had deviated from its or their assigned navigational track.

The accident in the sea off Talisay City was not the first time that a ship owned by the Sulpicio Lines and its renamed successor, the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation, were involved in an accident at sea.

Ramirez said Philippine Span Asia Carrier should “subject all the officers its vessels to a competency assessment before another major maritime disaster strikes.”

Sulpicio Lines/Philippine Span Asia Carrier is notorious for its involvement in sea accidents. The shipping company had been involved in at least 45 sea accidents over the past 30 years resulting in the loss of lives of more than 5,000 people.

Sulpicio’s MV Dona Paz figured in the December 20, 1987 collision with a tanker that claimed the lives of 4,375 people as well as the more recent MV Princess of the Stars sinking that killed more than 800 on board.