Help fishermen of rammed vessel, tanker owner told

MANILA, Philippines — The owner of the crude oil tanker Pacific Anna, which sailed under a Marshall Islands flag, should extend assistance to the families of the fishermen killed and injured in the ramming incident near Panatag Shoal, senators said yesterday.

During the Senate motu proprio investigation into the Oct. 2 maritime accident, Marshall Islands country representative Deputy Commissioner for Maritime Affairs Leo Bolivar said the country has launched its own preliminary investigation, the results of which will be provided to the International Maritime Organization.

The Philippine Coast Guard has also sent letters to the flag state of the vessel about the incident, PCG vice admiral Joseph Coyme said, adding that the results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs for diplomatic action.

But senators said the shipping company, which was not represented in the hearing, should pay compensation to the fisherfolk pending the results of the investigation into the ill-fated fishing boat Dearyn.

“Accidents happen. It is possible that this is purely an accident. But we have to compensate for those damages. Let us not drag this any more. That is our appeal to our neighbor and ally, Republic of Marshall Islands, given the evidence,” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said in Filipino.

Panel chair Sen. Francis Tolentino agreed, urging the PCG, Department of Justice (DOJ) and Maritime Industry Authority to coordinate with the families to ensure compensation for damages and loss of livelihood.

During the hearing, the survivors of the fatal accident recounted how the steel hull of the oil tanker loomed over the wooden boat and rammed it, dragging them under water before dawn on Oct. 2.

Reymark Bautista said he was just drinking coffee and the next thing he knew, he was underwater after the ship hit their wooden boat that was just moored at the payaw.

The body of 62-year-old fisherman Benedicto Olandria was later seen floating in the waters after the collision, added another crewmember Mandy An. They had to dispose of their fish catch after the accident to bring back the retrieved bodies and their other belongings to shore, they told the senators.

But the fishermen agreed that it was possible their wooden boat was not seen by those onboard Pacific Anna because of the bad weather, although the crude oil tanker should have a radar to detect smaller boats in its path.

Tolentino said they have to be compensated not just for damages to their ship and the trauma they endured, but also for the loss of livelihood because of the fish they had to dispose of.

DOJ senior state counsel Fretti Ganchoon added that the fishermen also deserved to be compensated for actual and emotional damages.

The Senate panel also learned that the Pacific Anna is owned by a certain Compass Shipping 28 Corp. Ltd. managed by Sinokor Merchant Marine Co. Ltd. Sinokor is a joint venture between South Korea and China, Tolentino later said in a press briefing after the hearing.

“Marshall Islands is the flag country where they registered. The country is not expected to provide assistance. But the private shipping company is, even the manning agency,” he said.