At least three foreign-manned vessels have committed multiple violations of Philippine regulatory measures while anchored in Manila, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) revealed on Monday, March 24.
The PCG joined an inter-agency inspection at the Manila Anchorage Area last March 20 and found irregularities and violations on MV Huagan 98, MV An Da Kang 3689, and MV Shingping 007.
During the inspection, the PCG said that MV Huagan had unaccounted Chinese crew members and was non-compliant with several Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) regulatory measures.
According to the PCG, there were no Chinese nationals onboard the vessel when the inspection occurred but a vessel calendar indicated the presence of seven Chinese crew members as of March 19.
“A review of the logbook revealed that eight Chinese nationals mysteriously disembarked before dawn on 20 March 2025. Despite existing Marina regulations limiting foreign crew members to supernumerary roles for a single voyage without prolonged stay onboard, all Chinese nationals were assigned official designations,” the PCG bared.
“The vessel’s master denied the presence of Chinese nationals, contradicting logbook records,” it added.
The Marina limits foreign crew members to supernumerary roles, which means someone who is not part of the ship's crew but is onboard for a specific purpose other than navigation, operation, or management, such as security, maintenance, or observation.
Further, the vessel also had “misrepresentation issues” flagged by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), missing Domestic Shipping Operation Certificate, and non-functional closed-circuit television (CCTV) system which raised safety and security concerns, the PCG noted.
As such, its shipping company was being summoned to respond to the violations committed by the vessel.
Meanwhile, the PCG said MV An Da Kang 3689 committed illegal manning and crew turnover violations.
It said nine Chinese nationals were improperly assigned as crew members of the vessel despite Marina regulations allowing only supernumeraries for knowledge transfer.
The vessel also had contract violations flagged by DOLE as the Chinese crew members were authorized to work in Zambales but were operating in Manila waters.
The crew also “failed to follow proper turnover procedures, with outgoing personnel abandoning their posts before the arrival of replacements”; and the vessel lacked a valid Domestic Shipping Operation Certificate.
Lastly, MV Shingping 007 had questionable crew designations and regulatory red flags, according to the PCG.
The inspection of the vessel revealed the presence of 12 Chinese nationals whose official designations as “technicians” did not match their Alien Employment Permits (AEPs), the PCG said.
“DOLE has warned that this discrepancy could lead to the revocation of their AEPs,” the Coast Guard noted.
The PCG said MV Shingping 007 also committed illegal manning violations like MV An Da Kang 3689.
“The PCG and its partner agencies remain steadfast in ensuring compliance with Philippine maritime laws. Appropriate legal actions will be pursued against the erring shipping companies, and vessel operators found violating labor and immigration policies,” the Coast Guard said.
The PCG conducted the inspection with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Marina, DOLE, and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the country's maritime security and domain awareness, and ensure crew welfare, and regulatory enforcement within Philippine waters.