Fatal boat ramming near Bajo de Masinloc probed

By Lade Jean Kabagani

The ramming of a Filipino fishing boat by a foreign commercial vessel while transiting waters near Bajo de Masinloc that killed three Filipinos might have been an “accident.”
    This was the assessment of Senator Francis Tolentino as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee began motu propio investigation on the issue.
    “I could not speculate. I don’t even know the crew there. Probably it’s an accident,” Tolentino said in a media interview after the Senate hearing on Thursday.
    Tolentino said the panel’s first investigation on the boat ramming revealed the owners of the foreign commercial ship, Pacific Anna, which is now considered a vessel of interest in the ramming incident, is being operated by a Chinese-Korean firm.
    “Yung relevation lang dito na lumabas, ‘yung tanong na sino ang may-ari ng barko? ‘Yung Sinokor. Sinokor is a Chinese-Korean Corporation (The revelation that comes out here is that the owner of the vessel is Sinokor. Sinokor is a Chinese-Korean corporation. But I am not attributing anything here” Tolentino said partly in Filipino.
    Senators learned about information during the hearing, as confirmed by Captain Leo Bolivar, deputy commissioner for maritime affairs of the Republic of Marshall Islands.
    “It’s actually owned by Sinokor…I have a confirmation here that the shipowner is a Compass Shipping 28 Corporation Limited with an address care of Sinokor Maritime Company Limited…in Seoul, Korea,” Bolivar said.
    Tolentino made a quick look at Sinokor’s website and it revealed that the company is a “joint venture between Chinese and Korean groups”—operated by Sinokor Merchant Marine, and owned by Compass Shipping 28 Corporation Ltd. based in Seoul, South Korea.
    During the hearing, Bolivar said Maritime and Corporate Registries of Marshall Island had started its investigation on the fatal collision as early as 4 October upon learning of the incident involving Pacific Anna.
    He said they are now in the process of “concluding the investigation and it will be a full report that will be forwarded to the International Maritime Organization database and it will be visible for Port State Control.”
    Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr. urged that concerned government agencies to appeal to the Pacific Anna operators to compensate the victims of the fatal ramming incident.
    Pimentel cited the evidence presented at the hearing, along with the initial investigation theory of the Philippine Coast Guard, which revealed that the boat ramming “might have been an accident” and can be “settled in accordance with international law.”
    “Accidents do happen. Posible namang aksidente ito eh (It’s possible that this is an accident). If it’s a pure accident, does anybody have to go to jail? Hindi (No). But we have to compensate those damaged, at huwag na nating i-dribble o patagalin masyado (and we don’t need to prolong it),” he stressed.
    Pimentel underscored that the victims should be “entitled to a certain amount.”
    “International law does not prevent the payment of the entire amount or an initial amount,” he added.
    Amid the investigations on the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard said it continues to monitor the movement of the Marshall Islands-registered crude oil tanker.
    It was last tracked to have docked at Kidurong, Malaysia, and is currently moving away from the area.
    Meanwhile, PCG Maritime Safety Services Commander Vice Admiral Joseph Coyme said the FB Dearyn is now being towed towards Subic, Zambales.
    “This piece of evidence is very important for us because we will conduct an inspection and at the same time, examine those scab marks found on the hull of the FB Dearyn and be subjected to forensic examination,” Coyme said, noting that the PCG’s fact-finding investigation report will be completed in a week.
    The final report will then be submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs for appropriate diplomatic actions, he added.