Public warned vs ‘colorum’ ships

The Philippine Coast Guard are advising the public especially those  going home for the Holy Week not to patronize fly-by-night or “colorum” vessels.

The PCG also assured the public it has beefed up security at all ports with the expected influx of sea travellers.

“Those fly-by-night interisland shipping vessels don’t have any insurance for their passengers and most of them have defective life rafts and life vests,” said PCG commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena.

“These colorum vessels usually appear during this season because this is an opportunity for them to make money since the major shipping lines have a hard time accommodating the huge volume of passengers,” he said.

In response to the directive from the PCG headquarters, Cebu station chief Commander Weniel Azcuna said  they are have already identified the areas where colorum vessels will most likely be operating.

Coast Guard personnel have already been dispatched in these areas to ensure security of all the ports in Cebu, Azcuna said.

“These vessels do not have any insurance for the passengers, in case any emergency happens. The passengers’ safety will be at stake,” Azcuna said in a phone interview.

He also added that because these vessels are not authorized by Maritime Industry Authority – 7 (MARINA-7), the vessels have not undergone any inspection for sea worthiness.

“They are just taking advantage of the situation because of the high volume of passengers. Our legitimate operators are having a hard time catering to this volume of passengers,”Azcuna said.

To address this issue, they have allowed additional trips for existing shipping lines to accommodate the passengers.

The passenger volume on Holy Week is expected to be three times compared to normal days.

Meanwhile, passengers of boarding vessels in Pier 1 are advised to go directly at Pier 3 for security check before they could board the vessels because the terminal in Pier is still under renovation.

Passengers are also advised to arrive at the ports two to three hours before departure to avoid any delay in their trips.

Passengers desk and assistance centers are already deployed in the port areas. In case of queries and emergencies, the public can call the PCG hotline 09276334512 or 09296787923. /Joy Cherry Quito, Correspondent with reports from Inquirer.net