Philippine Coast Guard probers looking at human factor

MANILA, Philippines - Coast Guard investigators will look into the human factor in the collision between the wooden-hulled ship M/V Catalyn B and the steel-hulled fishing vessel F/B Anatalia at the mouth of Manila Bay on Christmas Eve.

Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, Coast Guard commandant, said the two ships were equipped with radar.

“But did they know how to use it?” he asked. “Did they use it at that time? Did they communicate?”

Unconfirmed reports said a violation in the nautical road right of way might have led to the collision.

Commodore Luis Tuason Jr., Coast Guard National Capital Region-Central Luzon commander who would be heading the Special Board of Marine Inquiry next month, said the Anatalia reached Lubang island without informing the Vessel Traffic Monitoring System (VTMS) in Corregidor.

“They should have called before entering the VTMS,” he said.

“If there is no advice to the ship, then it should not have entered. As of now, we cannot say who is at fault.”

It appeared that the Catalyn B called the VTMS but its signal was weak because it was a wooden vessel.

However, Tuason said he is not blaming the Anatalia, and that he is hoping to get answers when they start their investigation.

“Maybe, they did not call the VTMS because the vessel was damaged,” he said. “Who made the decision?”

Tuason said they would be calling the captains and crewmembers of the two ships and their operators to shed light on the collision.

“We would also want to know if they implement the safety management system because I was able to talk to one of the captains, but I would not say who it was, and he admitted that he did not know all the nautical rules of the road,” he said.

“They should know the nautical rules 100 percent.”

Tuason said they would also look into the educational background and capability of the ship captains and their crew and get the facts of the case.

The SBMI would also call for the VTMS personnel who were on duty at the time, he added.

Meanwhile, Tamayo said the owners of Malayan Towage have agreed to shoulder the cost of hiring two experts from the United States who would be bringing their equipment to help in the retrieval operations. The equipment might either come from the United States or Singapore, he added.

Tuason said that one of the equipment that would be imported is the Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) that would help them to safely retrieve the bodies trapped inside the ship.

“There is an underwater camera that is attached to a monitor to be placed on board a ship,” he said.

They would also be coordinating with the Bureau of Customs to facilitate the immediate release of the equipment, Tuason said.

American Matthew Caldwell, a deep-sea diver who holds the rank of captain in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, said he spotted 12 people, including two children, spread out on the deck of the submerged vessel.

San Nicholas Shipping Lines, owner of the Catalyn B, promised to shoulder the accommodation of the US experts and their food allowance.

The fatalities identified so far were Beverly Cabinillo, 36; Relly Morales, 71; and Welmar Tanayan, 27.

Initial information reaching Coast Guard headquarters showed that at around 2:25 a.m. of Dec. 24, the 79 gross-ton Catalyn B carrying 73 passengers and crew left Pier 2 at North Harbor in Manila at around 9 p.m. last Dec. 23.

It was supposed to reach its destination at Tilik, Lubang island, Mindoro at 5 a.m. the following day.

The 369-gross ton steel-hulled Anatalia just came from a fishing trip in Turtle Island in Palawan and was returning to the Navotas Fishport when the collision occurred.

The two vessels met at the mouth of Manila Bay or 2.8 nautical miles Northwest of Limbones island, Cavite.

Catalyn B was leaving, while the Anatalia was entering the bay.

The vessels should have passed portside-to-portside or their left side facing each other, but Catalyn B rammed the rear starboard or right side of the fishing vessel, according to Tuason.

The bow of the wooden-hulled passenger vessel sustained a hole that caused it to sink in less than 10 minutes while the fishing vessel only sustained minor damage.

The mouth of Manila Bay is considered a busy sea lane and some vessels take precaution when passing through so that they would not run aground in the shallow waters

Catalyn B operator to retrieve bodies

Administrator Ma. Elena Bautista of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has ordered San Nicolas Shipping Lines to retrieve the bodies from waters off Cavite.

“We ordered the operator of Catalyn B to retrieve the remaining bodies inside the vessel,” she said.

Bautista said the Coast Guard will assist and coordinate with the shipping company on the retrieval operations, while Marina will monitor the retrieval operations to ensure that waste from the vessel will not pollute the waters where the ship sank.

Plaza: Survivors must file class suit vs CG, Marina

Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza called on survivors yesterday to file a class suit against officials of the Marina and Coast Guard, along with concerned agencies, to hold them liable for negligence and dereliction of duty.

“It’s a good test case for the victims to file a class suit not only against the ship owners but also the Coast Guard and Marina for their failure to implement guidelines and regulations,” he said.

Plaza asked for the immediate resignation of top officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Marina, Coast Guard and other agencies for purportedly failing to guarantee the safety of the public.

Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said government maritime officials should share accountability for the tragedies that brought pain and anguish to the relatives of the casualties during Christmas and New Year.

“They should be charged administratively and criminally,” she said.

“They never learn from past mistakes. Their negligence and dereliction of duty have cost loss of lives and property.”

Plaza and Ilagan said the decision of Tamayo to relieve its officials were not enough.

More might have died in sinking of Baleno 9 Tamayo said the passenger manifest of MV Baleno 9 had discrepancies as only 75 people were officially recorded but the survivors from the sinking, according to the Coast Guard, were 73, with six dead and 44 missing, or a total of 123 passengers.

On the other hand, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) reported 72 survivors, six dead and 54 missing, or a total of 132 passengers, he added.

During a Senate hearing on maritime disasters, Sen. Richard Gordon, quoting the PNRC, said supplemental manifests were being presented by the PCG and the ship owners but still the number of people who died, survived or were missing could not be determined. – Evelyn Macairan, Rainier Allan Ronda, Delon Porcalla, Aurea Calica