Basilan search, rescue ops on sunken vessel to continue - PCG
MV Trisha Kirsten 3 suvivors. (FB)
ZAMBOANGA CITY - The Department of Transportation (DOTR) has ordered a complete maritime safety audit and the grounding of the entire passenger fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines following the sinking of the MV Trisha Kirsten 3 on Monday in Basilan.
The order was announced by DOTR Secretary Giovanni Lopez during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 27, together with Philippine Coast Guard chief Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.
The Maritime Industry Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard were given 10 days to conduct the maritime safety audit, compliance, and inspection, the results of which will determine if the government will allow Aleson Shipping to continue to operate.
Based on records, the vessels of Aleson Shipping Lines were involved in 32 maritime incidents since 2019.
Three major incidents happened within a span of 10 years, including the M/V Danica Joy which sank at the Zamboanga City Port in 2016, the M/V Mary Joy in 2023 where 30 passengers were killed after it caught fire while at sea, and the M/V Trisha Kirsten 3.
The safety audit will not only include vessels but also the crew.
The DOTR also ordered Marina to submit a complete maritime safety audit of the entire domestic fleet in the Philippines, a full inventory which Lopez lamented was not available at present.
"If we exact accountability from shipowners we are going to exact higher accountability from the government," said Lopez.
"Maritime safety will always be the paramount and primordial concern," said Lopez, adding that business considerations will only be secondary.