MANILA, Philippines—All of the country’s about 200 passenger and cargo ferries are almost 30 years old and should have been replaced a long time ago or sent to the scrap yard, according to maritime officials.
“All of them are aging,” said Transportation Undersecretary Thompson Lantion.
He said the average age of inter-island passenger ships in the country is 34 years. In many countries, this is considered too old to be seaworthy.
He noted that in Japan, ferries that have reached 10 years of age were deemed unsafe and were sold off.
“In the Philippines, we buy these ships,” Lantion said.
Primo Rivera, deputy administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), said some vessels should have been phased out already, but their owners had lobbied Malacañang to extend their license.
“Maybe the President also agreed with them,” he said.
enewed scrutiny
The domestic shipping industry is facing renewed scrutiny after two vessels carrying holidaying passengers sank during Christmas.
On Dec. 26, the Baleno 9, a roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel sank near Verde Island in Batangas, just 37 minutes into its voyage from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to Batangas City. Of its 132 passengers, six died and 72 survived. Fifty-four remain missing.
On Christmas Eve, the wooden-hulled Catalyn B sank 3 nautical miles from Limbones Island at the mouth of Manila Bay after it smashed into a steel-hulled fishing boat. Four bodies were recovered on the day of the sinking while 24 were reported to be missing.
On Monday, a deep-sea diver saw at least 12 bodies inside the wreckage of the ferry. They have yet to be retrieved.
All the ships of the two companies that owned these two sunken vessels have been suspended from sailing pending an investigation that will begin next week.
New ships needed
Roll-on, roll-off (or Ro-Ro) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, trailers or buses that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels.
Ro-Ro vessels have built-in ramps which allow the cargo to be efficiently “rolled on” and “rolled off” the vessel when in port.
Rivera said there are 142 Ro-Ro ferries under 500 gross tons, while there are 37 large Ro-Ro ships. Of the 179 ferries, 80 are cargo passenger ships, he said.
All of these vessels are in the 28 to 34 years age range, Rivera said.
He said the Baleno 9 has been operating since 1984. The Catalyn B was more than 20 years old at least, he said.
According to Lantion, shipping companies repair their vessels only enough to pass safety regulations. Some domestic shipping firms cannot afford to buy new ships, he said.
“We would like to see new ships,” he said.
Lantion said Malacañang has already extended loans to local shipping firms so they could modernize their fleet. By next year, he said seven new vessels are set to roll out of the Hanjin shipyard in Subic Bay, Zambales, for domestic use.
Industry overhaul
Marina and the transportation department officials said the domestic shipping industry was in need of an overhaul.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has already ordered an audit of all passenger vessels in the wake of the recent sea mishaps.
Lantion said public and private agencies monitoring and regulating ferry companies have failed to implement major policies, despite circulars and memoranda from the government.
“There are problems in management, vessel systems and ticketing. The implementation is not being done,” he said.
Because these systems are not in place, there are problems in safety management and the accounting of passengers, which often leads to discrepancies in the manifest.
