Maritime Police seize illegally shipped corals

The Maritime Police yesterday seized two container vans loaded with corals for export to China estimated to be worth P1 million.

Maritime Police regional director Edeliso Pilones said the confiscation stemmed from the information they gathered that two vans at the container yard of Aleson Shipping were loaded with corals.

The shipment, which was declared by its consignee as scrapped iron, arrived from Zamboanga City five days ago.

Pilones said that they are still in process of tracing the real consignee of the shipment even after they have decided to open it yesterday in the presence of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources representatives.

Dioscoro Abenido, monitoring, control and supervision chief of the BFAR, said each van is believed to contain P500,000 worth of corals, budyong and tridacna shells.

Although considered as raw materials, the marine products could be worth millions of pesos once they are processed.

Abenido said the shipment will be delivered to the office of the Naval Forces Central in Lapu-Lapu City if no one will claim it.

But if somebody will come out to claim the shipment, he will be charged for transporting the banned marine products, he added.