MANILA, Philippines?All of the Philippines? roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ships, about 200 of them, are about 30 years old and should have been replaced a long time ago or sent to the scrap yard, according to maritime officials.
The country?s other types of ships are even older. Transportation Undersecretary Thompson Lantion said the average age of the country?s inter-island passenger ships is 34 years, which is deemed too old for voyage in many countries.
?All of them are aging,? Lantion said in an interview on Wednesday.
In other countries like Japan, ferries that have reached 10 years are deemed unsafe and are sold off. ?In the Philippines, we buy these ships,? he added.
Primo Rivera, deputy administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), said there are 142 RORO ferries under 500 gross tons, while there are 37 large RORO ships. Of the 179 ferries, 80 are cargo passenger ships, he said.
All of these ships are between 28 and 34 years old, Rivera said.
Lantion said ferry companies only repair their vessels to pass safety regulations, adding that some domestic shipping firms cannot afford new ships.
?We would like to see new ships,? Lantion said.
The local shipping industry faces scrutiny anew after the recent sinking of two passenger ferries.
On Dec. 26, the M/V Baleno-9 sank near Verde Island, Batangas. Six people whose bodies have been found were confirmed killed, 72 were rescued while at least 54 others remain missing.
On Christmas Eve, the wooden-hulled M/V Catalyn B sank in the mouth of Manila Bay after it collided with a steel-hulled fishing boat. Four bodies were recovered on the day of the sinking and 24 were reported missing.
On Monday, a deep-sea diver saw at least 12 bodies inside the wreckage of the ferry. They have yet to be retrieved.
Rivera said the Baleno-9 was operating since 1984. Catalyn B, on the other hand, was more than 20 years old. The ships of both companies have been grounded pending investigation that will start next week.
Rivera said some of the country?s ships should have been phased out already, but their owners have lobbied to Malacańang to extend their licenses. ?Maybe the President also agreed with them,? he said.
Lantion said the government has extended loans to local ferry firms to modernize their fleets. By next year, he said, seven new vessels will roll out of the Hanjin shipyard in Subic Bay, Zambales province for local voyages.
Officials of Marina and the Department of Transportation and Communication admitted that the domestic shipping industry is in need of an overhaul.
The President has already ordered an audit of all the passenger vessels in the wake of the recent accidents.
Lantion said public and private agencies have failed to implement major policies in regulating shipping companies, 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 still problems in safety management and the accounting of passengers, which often leads to discrepancies in the manifests.
Some ferry personnel are also not formally trained and may be ignorant of some maritime rules, officials said.
Lantion said these policies would be reviewed too. As it turned out, the skippers of the Catalyn B and Baleno 9 were not certified ship masters.
