Killer RoRos ply our seas

Every year, over age and substandard roll-on, roll-off vessels plying Philippine seas claim lives and damage properties.

Just recently, more than a hundred people’s lives were imperiled when a RORO ferry sank off Leyte after reportedly encountering steering problems while navigating big waves; two have been confirmed dead. The vessel was allegedly three decades old and in a decrepit condition.

In these times when inclement weather is no longer confined to the months we had always associated with rains and typhoons, and when changes in the atmospheric conditions on land and sea have become almost unpredictable, the only way to ensure the safety of our countrymen is to demand for safe transportation facilities.

In the case of our sea-going vessels, the government must strictly stop the use of ships or barges that are more than 20 years old. Most of our ROROs today are bought second-hand from Japan, a country with strict maritime laws that include retiring sea vessels that reach 20 years of age.

The Japanese sell their “retired” sea-going vessels usually to Filipinos and Indonesians. In the Philippines, these acquired vessels are given a new coat of paint and a new name, and happily let out to sea to earn a few bucks for another 10 or more years.

This explains the dismal state of our sea-going vessels, where the “youngest” are mostly 20 years old and the average age over 30 years. If you have a conscientious vessel operator, good maintenance work will keep it relatively safe at sea. Otherwise, coupled with poor crew and officer training, you have a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

Dangerous renovations

One thing about ROROs acquired from Japan, even if Japanese ship-builders are known for their stringent safety standards and meticulous eye for detail, the design is peculiarly suited only for the calm and sheltered waters typical of routes used in Japan.

When these second-hand ROROs operate in Philippine waters, just a one-meter wave already poses enough risks to endanger the lives of its passengers. Japanese ROROs are only suited for travel on still waters like Laguna de Bay or Taal Lake.

Our seas, even channels, can be rough because of the Philippines’ location vis-à-vis the China Sea. Therefore, Japanese ROROs don’t stand a chance when the going gets rough.

These distinct peculiarity and unsuitability of Japanese hand-me-down ROROs is even exposed to more challenges by its Filipino owners and operators when a new deck is added to increase passenger capacity. You end up having a totally unbalanced vessel that can’t cope with extra choppy waters.

Not certified as seaworthy

The big question is: Why does the Philippines’ Maritime Industry Authority allow this? Incidentally, we should take a big hint from the fact that none of our ROROs are classed by international classification agencies recognized worldwide like the American Bureau of Shipping, or the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, or the Lloyds Registry.

Most of these reputable organizations are members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), and are respected by insurance companies. In other words, if your vessel is not classed and maintained by IACS, chances are that it won’t get insurance coverage.

Marina may argue that imported vessels are “classed” by about seven local “class societies,” which by the way, are all recognized by Marina. But it is well known that these local societies do not have the capacity to really determine the seaworthiness of vessels.

Just as Marina does not have its own technical staff to supervise these classification societies, the latter also do not have the people with the proper capability and authoritative competence to enforce correct standards.

By practice, these local class societies have been known to enforce very lax standards, something that Marina turns a blind eye to. The system has become almost like an old boys’ club where the societies protect each other’s interests.

If Marina is banking on the classification work done by the Japanese government, and which the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai relies on heavily, then the Philippine maritime authority is barking at the wrong tree: Class accreditation is very much dependent on where the vessel will trade.

Inadequate insurance

Not only is Marina negligent about the class accreditation of ROROs, it is remiss about insurance coverage. While Marina requires that passengers must each be insured at P200,000, there is no third party liability coverage.

This insurance is of utmost importance because this covers the passengers’ medical needs and death benefits, oil pollution, damage to properties like piers, and removal of wrecks.

The Princess of the Orient, a Sulpicio RORO that sunk a few years ago, is still partly submerged in water, but very much stuck and a real hazard to other ships plying the route. There seems to be no plan at the moment to ever salvage the vessel because it would have to be shouldered directly by the owners. So let it rot, let it rot appears to be the attitude of those responsible.

Reforms urgently needed

Are we surprised that foreign governments advise their nationals not to take our ROROs? Shouldn’t our own government also issue the same advice? Are the lives of other nationalities more precious than ours? Or is this a “culling” measure to bring down our population levels?

Clearly, the Philippine government, Marina, and local ship owners and operators should address this problem with utmost urgency if they do not want to be accused of being murderers, or of operating floating coffins.

If we still cannot let go of old second-hand vessels because of economic reasons, Marina should ensure that those bought are safe to operate in our turbulent, and often, typhoon-ravaged, seas.

Let’s start bringing up class accreditation at par with international standards. This way, we’re also able to ensure that those vessels we bring out to sea have adequate insurance protection.

Reforms are urgently needed lest more people lose their lives.

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