PCG detains vessels involved in Zambales dredging

Zambales. INQUIRER FILES

Updated on March 22, 2024 at 7:43 p.m.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) detained vessels involved in dredging activities in the sea off Zambales, its spokesperson, Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, said on Friday.

Balilo said the 17 vessels were all registered under the Philippine flag and were confiscated in separate operations due to “detainable deficiencies” like environmental violations.

Balilo told INQUIRER.net in a chance interview in Quezon City that these vessels will be under this custody as long as their violations have not been corrected.

“The owner will pay a fine,” Balilo told reporters in another statement. “They will be detained as long as the deficiencies are not corrected.”

He added that all of the crew of 17 vessels are also Filipinos.

READ: Chinese dredging ships alarm Zambales residents

Three of the 28 ships are under the flags of China, Sierra Leone, and Panama.

In an inspection on March 19, PCG also learned that these foreign-flagged ships had identified “several deficiencies” yet they were not detained.

Balilo, however, explained that they were not detained because only the Port State Control personnel under the International Maritime Organization have the power to do it.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that 14 vessels were seen operating off the coastal town of San Felipe, alarming residents.

The Inquirer also reported that the dredging activities there started around October 2023.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the dredging project is part of the river restoration to rehabilitate the “heavily silted” rivers traversing the towns of San Marcelino, San Narciso, and San Felipe in a bid to prevent flooding.

According to San Felipe Mayor Reinhard Jeresano, the extracted sand from the area would then be transported to the reclamation area in Pasay City and the airport in Bulacan.