'70% of SuperFerry 9 shipments not inspected'

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) yesterday said 70 percent of the shipments on board the ill-fated M/V SuperFerry 9 were reportedly not subjected to physical inspection, and were thus susceptible to movement that might have contributed to the sinking of the ship.

Marina director Emerson Lorenzo, vice chairman of the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI), said able-bodied seaman and helmsman Jorel Obuga failed to inspect all the container vans totaling 186 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in a span of 30 minutes, only managing to inspect 50 TEUs.

He said this possibly resulted in some of the shipments to have not been secured properly.

In yesterday’s hearing, the 23-year-old Obuga told the eight-man BMI panel that more than two hours before the ship sank last Sept. 6, Capt. Jose Yap ordered him to check on the shipments on the lower decks. The 186 TEUs were distributed on the cargo deck, car deck, and the gantry.

Asked if the shipments were secure, he answered in the affirmative, saying he even reported to Yap that the cargoes were intact. Four metal chain lashings secured each cargo.

But Lorenzo countered that if that was the case, how come there were photographs taken of shipments floating on water after the ship sank 700 fathoms near the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Obuga said these shipments might have broken free from their lashings because the ship “was listing heavily on the starboard (right) side. Maybe the chains were no longer able to hold them.”

Lorenzo said all the shipments should have been physically inspected and not just assessed visually, explaining that there are instances when a lashing appears straight or tight but is loose upon closer inspection.

“The cargo might be susceptible to movement if it was not tied properly. It might be dislodged and it can aggravate the listing if it is not secured,” he said.