Foreign ship apprehended

Task Force Stingray of the Philippine Navy apprehended a Cyprus-registered cargo vessel believed to be carrying smuggled goods, some 20 nautical miles off Liloy, Zamboanga City yesterday.

The vessel, M/V Spirus, was reportedly loaded with more than 10,000 metric tons of salt worth more than P10 million, according to initial reports reaching the Navy headquarters.

The cargo ship reportedly escaped from the Bureau of Customs in Zamboanga without paying the necessary taxes and leaving port without clearances.

Capt. Mike Rodriguez, Task Force Stingray commander, informed Vice Admiral Victorino Hingco, Navy flag officer-in-command, that patrol gunboat Juan Magluyan (PG 392) spotted the vessel while conducting "negation patrol" off Liloy town.

Rodriguez said a board and search team was immediately organized by the Navy vessel’s commanding officer, while other Task Force Stingray units provided support.

He said the task force will turn over M/V Spirus to the Cebu Bureau of Customs for the filing of appropriate cases in court.

Hingco said the apprehension of M/V Spirus was the result of good intelligence information gathering and well-coordinated naval, air and surface operations.

Task Force Stingray, based in Cebu, is a dedicated, fast reaction Navy unit composed of several naval vessels, aircraft and Navy Seals.