Overriding concern

There is merit in the shippers association’s objection to the Maritime Industry Authority’s (Marina) suspension of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines’ fleet.

The freeze order came before any  hearing was done on the compliance or non-compliance of safety standards of the shipping firm’s remaining vessels.  The Coast Guard had yet to receive the  management’s written explanation or the ship captain’s marine protest.

Paralyzing the whole fleet is unfair to the economy and the shipping firm.

If ship inspections can be done thoroughly by rotation, one unit after another, why ground all  vessels on the presumption that their safety standards are a bad risk?

No passengers or crew were lost when the MV Asia Malaysia sank off Calabazas Island in Iloilo province last Sunday morning.

The weather was stormy. In Trans-Asia’s account,  it was duly noted that the ship captain and crew were the last to abandon ship after the MV Asia Malaysia listed and tilted to its starboard side  due to strong winds and huge waves.

Still, the Coast Guard questioned whether the cargoes were properly lashed down prior to sailing and there were reports of oil leaks during the incident. To its credit, Trans-Asia complied with the suspension order and promised salaries to their workers and assistance to  inconvenienced passengers.

Trans-Asia’s own losses, P20 million for each idle day according to the management, should prompt Marina not to waste time in inspecting the vessels.

With the shipping industry  in the doldrums, the stalemate of eight passenger vessels and one cargo vessel, even for a temporary period,  has a high impact on financial survival of the company.

The loss of vessels plying routes in the Visayas and Mindanao also brings a palpable gap in services for the public who rely on sea travel as the cheapest mode of transporting bulk goods and people.

The shippers association wasn’t alone in protesting the suspension against Trans-Asia. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and leaders of Cebu business  groups agreed it was arbitrary.

Yet even with these losses, the Marina order can be justified in light of the government’s overarching responsibility to ensure the riding public’s safety.

It’s been a drill of longstanding to shut down a fleet if one of their vessels  sinks.

To balance both concerns of pragmatism and public safety,  the Coast Guard should be quick and thorough in its inspections, and not take weeks or months to finish, like the ordeal of the former Sulpicio Lines after its own tragic sinking.

A  suspension already sends a clear message that the government takes safety of the riding public seriously.   The freeze doesn’t have to be total or time consuming.