PPA said the incident in Pier 15 of Manila South Harbor experienced by passengers of MV Norwegian Jewel cruise ship on November 30, 2023 was an “isolated incident.” (Photo from Nelson Terible, Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — A “cruise chaos” post wherein a passenger aired his complaint about his travel to Manila on board a cruise ship has been making the rounds on Facebook.
But Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) describes the passenger’s experience as an “isolated incident.”
The Facebook post was made by a certain Nelson Terible, who was a passenger of the cruise ship MV Norwegian Jewel.
According to Terible, he and the other passengers experienced poor service after their arrival in Manila on November 30.
The story happened at Pier 15 of Manila South Harbor.
“There have been several cruise ships that arrived at the Port of Manila this year and the past years, and as many as 3 cruise vessels all docked at the same time, but have never experienced this kind of incident,” PPA said in a statement on Thursday.
“This is an isolated incident,” it stressed.
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According to PPA, it has met with the terminal operator Asian Terminals Incorporated (ATI), and the vessel’s ship agent, Ben Line Agencies Incorporated, prior to the arrival of MV Norwegian Jewel.
PPA reported there were no personnel deployed for traffic management, and only 20 porters, who were not in uniform, were on hand to help more than 5,000 passengers of MV Norwegian Jewel.
“Prior to the arrival of MV Norwegian Jewel, meetings have been made between the concerned parties and the PPA to prioritize the safety and security of the cruise passengers,” PPA said.
“ATI and Ben Line Agencies Incorporated are committed to providing personnel for traffic management and the deployment of the porters,” PPA said.
“None of these commitments from ATI and Ben Line Agencies Incorporated happened since both did not deploy personnel for traffic management, and only 20 civilian porters who (were not in uniform) have been provided to assist more than 2,553 disembarking passengers and 2,505 embarking passengers,” it added.
PPA had directed ATI and Ben Line Agencies Incorporated to explain their sides on the incident.
As of this report’s posting, PPA is still waiting for their replies.