Manila Times

The Marine Board of Inquiry probing into the tragedy of the Sulpicio Lines-owned MV Princess of the Stars is not over and must still learn many things from witnesses but one fact has clearly emerged: Government inspection of vessels is lax, haphazard and done only once a year.

The government body officially tasked with making sure that Philippine ships are seaworthy, well-equipped according to its type, tonnage, age and use is the Marine Industry Authority (Marina).

Marina inspects vessels only once a year—at the time when a ship is in dry dock. When the ship passes this inspection and pronounced to be seaworthy and fully equipped with regulation facilities, it can be put to sea again.

It seems that as long as it looks good, in the eye of the surveyor and examiner, it doesn’t matter if the ship is too old.

Coast Guard may inspect

The Philippine Coast Guard, in its own description of its functions, states that it has the work of doing MARSAF or Maritime Safety Administration. In its MARSAF task, the “function of the PCG is to ensure the seaworthiness of the vessels plying the waters through the conduct of Port State Control inspection of foreign vessel, among others.” Of course, “among others” include Philippine flag-bearing ships.

The PCG further states that under the MARSAF duty, “It also enforces the vessel safety regulatory standards on domestic vessels through the conduct of Flag State control inspections, Emergency Readiness Evaluations, Mandatory Pre-Departure Inspections, SOLAS Equipment Inspections and the accreditation of suppliers and manufacturers of SOLAS appliances.”

And “It also ensures navigational safety through the development, establishment, maintenance and operation of Aids to Navigation.”

But everybody in the know, including ship captains who will not, however, speak for the record, will privately admit that the Coast Guard officers’ inspection of their ships is purely ceremonial. They do not look into the state of a ship’s equipment and safety facilities, or count the passengers to determine if there are enough lifeboats and life vests and, if every piece of cargo loaded is properly stowed and lashed to where it should be.

The PCG officers, a captain told The Times, assume ship masters to be officers and gentlemen who will do as the rules require.

An ABS-CBN and Newsbreak news item, however, reported on June 27 that “a Coast Guard official, who refused to be named for he is not authorized to speak on procedures, said the PCG inspection before a ship leaves port is limited to checking the passenger manifest and the Master’s Oath Safety of Departure.”

Echo of ‘Princess of the Orient’

Some of what the Marine Board of Inquiry has learned or will learn about the MV Princess of the Stars’ condition will echo the findings about the MV Princess of the Orient, which in 1998 sank in stormy seas near Cavite and Batangas. In this disaster, 200 died.

Coast Guard officials have stated that their agency cannot really do its many functions as thoroughly as they should. In the first place, the PCG does not have enough personnel. In the second place, it does not have enough equipment and vessels.

PNP Maritime Group

There is still another uniformed service involved in maritime affairs. This service is the Philippine National Police’s Maritime Group.

This agency’s vision is “To achieve and maintain peaceful and secured maritime environment in partnership with the community attuned to national development priorities.”

Its mission is “To enforce the law, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety over Philippine Territorial Waters, lakes, and rivers, along coastal areas to include ports and harbors, and small islands for the security and sustainable development of the Maritime environment.”

Among its many functions is “To uphold the rule of law affecting the maritime environment,” which should include seeing to it that commercial ships obey regulations.

The international GMDSS

Besides lacking sophisticated ships of its own, the Coast Guard does not have the latest “Global Maritime Distress and Safety System” or GMDSS.

As described by Marine Buzz, in 1979, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) saw the need for an updated maritime communication system. It then collaborated with other institutions to create the Inmarsat system employing geostationary satellites positioned above the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Shortly thereafter, a polar orbiting satellite system was established to locate Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs).

Then the IMO upgraded the whole system into what is now known as the GMDSS, which provide a rapid and automated distress reporting and improved telecommunications for the maritime community.

The IMO amended its SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) convention in 1998 to employ this upgrade of the maritime safety communications procedures and equipment for the GMDSS.

Our Coast Guard does not have the complete set of basic equipment for GMDSS.