Marina allows Sulpicio ship in accident to sail
By David Israel Sinay
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:07:00 09/07/2008
ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has allowed the MV Cotabato Princess to sail after concluding it was seaworthy despite having rammed the Iloilo port on Thursday.
But Sulpicio Lines, owner of the vessel, will be asked to pay for repair of the port, which could run to P16 million, according to Philippine Port Authority-Iloilo manager Francisco Salem.
The Cotabato Princess hit the pier, which is currently undergoing expansion and renovation, as it maneuvered to dock.
Salem said International Builders Corp., the contractor in the P180-million port expansion project, informed him that 12 of the pier’s 16 bored piles were destroyed while the rest others were damaged.
The contractor pegged the damage at P16 million, Salem said.
The port construction work was about 80 percent complete before the incident happened, Salem said.
Only scratches and dents
Ramelo Sumague, Marina shipbuilding specialist II, said that, on the other hand, the damage to the Cotabato Princess was “negligible,” with only scratches and dents to its side.
Sumague said the ship was pushed into the bored piles by the “strong water current.”
Initial assessment showed no damage to the ship’s hull but it would be best to have the ship undergo a thorough underwater inspection by an accredited surveyor, Sumague said.
He said Sulpicio Lines had been advised to ensure the Cotabato Princess underwent a comprehensive underwater inspection by a Marina-accredited surveyor in Manila.
He said the 8-ton ship was carrying a cargo of fruit, vegetables and fish.
Sulpicio Lines cargo ships were allowed to sail again only recently, after the company’s flagship passenger vessel, the MV Princess of the Stars, sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 21 during Tyhoon “Frank,” leaving over 700 passengers dead and missing.
Go-signal from Marina
The Cotabato Princess, which had come from Zamboanga, arrived at the Iloilo port at around 1 p.m. on Thursday. It was supposed to leave for Manila at 3 p.m. but because of the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard prevented its departure until Marina gave the go-signal, said Belen Zerrudo of SLI-Iloilo in a phone interview Saturday.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to reach SLI-Iloilo manager Kim Pancho and the ship master, Capt. Virgilio Ilagan, but they were out of the office, according to Zerrudo.
She said she was not aware of the details of the incident or when would the ship would sail for Manila.
|
