MARINA to intensify compliance monitoring, safety audits

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), which regulates water transport in the country, said on Wednesday that it will intensify compliance and safety audits of domestic vessels following the tragic sinking of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.

"So, the idea is we're going to develop a scoring matrix sa pag-assess ng ating mga barko. So, this will be on a per vessel basis. Uunahin po natin, of course, yung mga passenger ships. May point system po dito," said MARINA spokesperson Lui Delos Santos said in a press briefing.

(So, the idea is we're going to develop a scoring matrix for assessing ships. This will be on a per-vessel basis. We will prioritize, of course, the passenger ships. There will be a point system for this.)

This comes after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez gave MARINA and the Philippine Coast Guard 10 days to conduct a maritime safety audit on all vessels owned by Aleson Shipping Lines, the owner of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.

However, MARINA said that three months is not enough time to comply with the DOTr's order.

"Because with the few people that we have in MARINA, mahihirapan po tayong isasagawa yung comprehensive safety audit ng two months or in three months. Dapat yung makabuluhan po na safety audit. At maintindihan naman po siguro ng Secretary Lopez that we are doing this to ensure na kahit matatagalan nang kaunti, basta sustainable and at the same time long-lasting po yung magiging outcome po ng gagawin po ng MARINA na ito," said Delos Santos.

(Because with the few people that we have in MARINA, we will have a hard time conducting a comprehensive safety audit in two or three months. The safety audit should be meaningful. And Secretary Lopez will likely understand that we are doing this to ensure that even if it takes a little longer, the outcome of what MARINA is doing will be sustainable and, at the same time, long-lasting.)

Also on Wednesday, MARINA was questioned by a Senate committee, during which the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Operations OIC Emmanuel Carpio said the Trisha Kerstin's sinking has resulted in suspensions at the agency.

Safety audits

MARINA said that during the safety audit, it will check the validity of crew members' certificates, vessel registration, and the safety and load line certificates of the ship, among other things.

"Titignan din po natin yung [We will also check] life-saving and firefighting equipment na really very critical, that these could save a lot of lives," said Delos Santos. "For example, yung life-saving appliances, complete ba? Saka serviceable? Yung mga lifeboats, sa rescue boats, operational ba?"

MARINA will also check if the crew members are trained in various safety procedures.

Further, the agency noted that the monitoring and audit will be "risk-based."

"For example, dito po sa lumubog po na barko ng Aleson Shipping, sa records po ng MARINA, valid po ang kanyang mga documents. Kaya, what went wrong? 'Yan po yung titignan natin," said Delos Santos.

(For example, here in the case of the sunken ship of Aleson Shipping, according to the records of MARINA, its documents were valid. So, what went wrong? That is what we are going to look into.)

At least 19 people have been confirmed dead from the sinking of the Trisha Kerstin 3, which sank in waters off Basilan on Monday.

Technical divers and a remotely operated vehicle were deployed earlier in the day for the search and rescue operations.

At the Senate hearing, Public Services chairperson Raffy Tulfo also called out MARINA for allowing Aleson Shipping to operate despite reportedly being involved in over 30 maritime incidents since 2019. — BM, GMA Integrated News