June 24, 2008 · Posted in: In the News, Investigative Reports
Sulpicio Lines and maritime safety: An often woeful, tragic tale
TWENTY one years since the sinking of the M/V Doña Paz between Mindoro and Marinduque after colliding with an oil tanker, considered as the world’s worst ferry disaster and the worst peace-time maritime disaster in history, it would seem that implementing safety standards at sea in the Philippines continues to be spotty and beset with problems.
![M/V Princess of the Stars [photo courtesy of Sulpicio Lines]](http://www.pcij.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/princess-of-the-stars.jpg "M/V Princess of the Stars [photo courtesy of Sulpicio Lines]")
At the height of typhoon Frank’s fury last weekend, another Sulpicio Lines passenger ferry, M/V Princess of the Stars, sank off the coast of Romblon Saturday evening, leaving at least 70 people dead and hundreds more missing. The 23,824-ton Cebu-bound ship left Manila on the night of June 20 after it was given clearance to sail despite a public storm signal already raised in the general direction where it was headed.
The recent disaster is yet one more blot in the woeful maritime history of the country, as well as of Sulpicio Lines, one of the country’s largest shipping companies — and possibly the most controversial given its record of sea mishaps. In the wake of the M/V Doña Paz tragedy where 4,340 people drowned, one of its vessels, the M/V Marilyn, capsized during a storm in central Philippines in October 1988, resulting in the death of about 500 people.
Ten years later, a storm-battered M/V Princess of the Orient sank in Batangas waters and left 70 dead and 80 others missing. The ship was a replacement to the then largest vessel owned by Sulpicio Lines, the 191-meter long Filipina Princess, which continued to sail the lucrative Manila-Cebu route back in the early 1990s despite navigating only on one of two engines — a condition that prompted the Philippine Coast Guard to declare it unfit for travel in February 1993.
Another Sulpicio ship, M/V Princess of the World caught fire at sea in July 2005, though there were no reported casualties.
In 1993, the PCIJ published a three-part series tackling the perils of shipping, highlighting the issue of safety, which a former administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) no less acknowledged then as the “most neglected aspect of the industry.”
Read the PCIJ report:
- Part 1: Liner Limps on a Lone Engine
- Part 2: Philippine Shipping is a Maritime Disaster
- Part 3: Coast Guard is Ineffective
It was the case then, yet it appears to be so up to now.
That is not to say though that compliance with safety standards has not improved over the last two decades under a deregulated shipping industry. But the occurrence of major tragedies such as the recent sinking of the Princess of the Stars has only served to underscore what problems remain to this day, some of which were identified in the PCIJ story — ageing and badly maintained ships, the absence of minimal safety navigational aids like lighthouses, and lack of competent seafarers, many of whom are lured to work in more well-paying shipping companies abroad.
Back in the early 1990s, a Japanese study already pointed out that at least 700 lighthouses were needed to illuminate the country’s major waterways. At the time of the PCIJ report, existing lighthouses were only half that number. At present, the number has reportedly increased but to no fewer than 500, many in very poor conditions.
The spotlight fell as well on the Coast Guard, whose authority to ensure sea safety continues to be hampered by poor funding and badly trained — and some charge, corrupt — personnel. The Coast Guard now gets almost P2 billion from the national budget, five times the allocation it used to receive when it was still under the armed forces. Back then, a commodore estimated that at least P1 billion is needed to make the Coast Guard an effective regulatory agency. Today, that amount is not even enough as more than P1.3 billion go to cover the cost of personal services, mainly salaries and allowances.
What the PCIJ also found out then was the weak and fragmented authority of the Coast Guard when it came to enforcing safety standards as its decision in the controversy surrounding the Filipina Princess was set aside by the Department of National Defense. Ordering a second review, the DND argued that the Coast Guard’s decision to ban the ship from traveling was “unjustly” issued and without due process. Sulpicio had asserted the safety of its ship, whose navigational record in the last eight months that time included suffering at least six breakdowns at mid-sea, one lasting 20 hours.
18 Responses to Sulpicio Lines and maritime safety: An often woeful, tragic tale
jcc
June 24th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
now, the blame-game, begins.
jr_lad
June 24th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
another tragedy. my thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.
jcc
June 25th, 2008 at 7:57 am
A MUSE FOR THE DEAD
Plunged recklessly into the bottomless pit
Of ocean bed, thy final resting place
Hundreds lives in one tragic sweep
As blood sacrifice to tame the waves
Nature’s wrath turns to Neptune’s grin
Guests have not been as plenty as these
Had graced the ocean floor in careless haste
These wretched lives – must they not rest?
Should they be for the brutal doom not chosen?
Their humble circumstance as an aggravation?
Criminal neglect of the ship or Marina’s fault?
Slaughtered innocent commuters of young and old?
Oh fury of nature bare, cold, and callous!
Your rage had gifted the Romblon ocean beds,
Must innocent souls fed your carnal outrage?
And spare the criminals of this hideous carnage?
Pedestrian Observer GB
June 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am
The problem of poorly regulated industry can be traced to corruption and the “bahala na” dimwitted mentality of those regulating the industry and the owners cutting corners to maximize their profit in a not so profitable industry.
Until the leaders lead by example we can play the blame game and it will still be the same old pathetic disregard for the safety of the passengers and crew.
The bottom line is that corruption kills and endemic corruption results in catastrophe with 6,000 deaths in maritime related tragedy in just the past 9 years. Until the Philippines seriously enforce the law and regulate the industry in accordance with accepted international standards it will repeat itself like a vicious cycle.
nosi balasi
June 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
as the post says “The 23,824-ton Cebu-bound ship left Manila on the night of June 20 after it was given clearance to sail despite a public storm signal already raised in the general direction where it was headed.”
I was chatting thru skype with my wife last June 19 at around 9PM Eastern Standard Time- Philippine Time about 10AM June 20…she mentioned to me that there will be a super typhoon coming in the Philippines and is expected to arrive in Manila by past midnight…but she jokingly told me that the sun is brightly shining and really hot as if it is still summer time…I told her that you should be afraid of that instead, because here in the Carribean that is the most treacherous weather condition specially during Hurricane season…because mostly the eye of the typhoon or the hurricane, is a bright shiny skies…anyway…I am just sharing this to everyone…that even my wife knows that there has a typhoon coming, and it was announced thru televisions and in the internet sites. How come the Captain of the boat and the Government Authority allowed this vessel to ship…there is something wrong about this matter…yes there’s the Sulpicio Lines, the Captain of the Vessel, the Marina, and etc… and mentioning the study in 1990 by the Japanese ek ek that there’s lacking of lighthouse and most of the existing lighthouses are not in good condition.
I agree to JCC, corruption really kills…really killing our nation…rice, education, election fraud, hidden projects, overpriced supplies, electricity and water services, transportation, swine, public safety, judiciary, and etc…and also corruption is the number one factor that the journalists will be killed…
JCC can I borrow your line…we are totally screwed!!!
Alecks P. Pabico
June 25th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Speaking of the ongoing blame-game, here are interesting reads from two different perspectives: “Sea tragedies bring the clowns to town” by Vicente ‘Tet’ Gambito, a consumer rights advocate who was the vice president of Sulpicio Lines when the M/V Doña Paz tragedy happened, and “Star-crossed star ship” by Ares Gutierrez, a Dubai-based journalist who used to cover the maritime beat for the defunct Manila Chronicle.
naykika
June 25th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
We have a rule even at place of work that when it comes to safety issue, everything takes second place. And employee or anyone has the right to refuse to work if she or he believes it is unsafe to do so and it has to be resolved first by accepted processes.
Be that, before any blame game starts, I strongly suggest a thorough investigations by the Safety Board (Maritime Safety Board or its Equivalent)to determine what were the main cause of the mishap, starting from the forecasting, the guidelines of setting sails for passengers sea going and cargo and air, the audit and safety check of their fitness to travel in all weather condition and the crew factors…
The cause could be as simple as that of the Ferry Queen of the North which crashed and sank at the coast of British Columbia in 2006 which the Safety Board attributed to the “malfunctioning” of the Auto Pilot which was not ATTENDED by the two Officers on Duty because the two were ‘Arguing’ about their recent Break Up for 14 Minutes and Kaboom…two lives were lost, the rest were rescued in the Dark of the Night..Aftermath..measures as simple as adding more officers on the deck with a live officer monitoring the Auto Pilot non-stop…
Pedestrian Observer GB
June 26th, 2008 at 1:35 am
nosi balasi,
Jaywalker is not JCC, of course you can use the line corruption kills without even asking me because I don’t own it, it is what it is…. corruption kills.
jcc
June 26th, 2008 at 3:54 am
nosi_balasi,
be my guest. you can use my line, “Oh boy, we are totally screwed!!!. I don’t have a patent on it yet and I am glad you like the expression!
jcc
June 26th, 2008 at 4:04 am
nosi,
i didn’t know that you work somehwere in the Carribean. will be there this weekend, June 28, maybe we can drown our frustration over a bottle of beeer.
seriously, please tell me if any hurricance/storm is expected at the Carribean this weekend..
rivergel
June 26th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Who’s to blame is too vague for several factors might cause the tragedy. But I do agree with Pedestrian Observer’s outlook for with corruption, catastrophes are likely to happen.
If our government could do prioritizing its people and spend the nation’s money for the safeguarding of their people’s welfare, most probably incidents similar to this would lessen or be avoided.
At the end of the day, blaming game for this matter is no good. Prayers are what our nation need. Prayers for the victim. Prayers for our depressing government condition.
Keith Bacongco
June 26th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
i think it’s time for the SLI to rethink if they should continue ferry passengers.
as expected, they are now starting to blame each other — PCG, SLI,etc.
corruption kills!
jcc
June 27th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I read an interesting post by someone in this site whee he said that people living on earth are the virus that will consume the earth, or their host because we do not take care of our environment, and therefore motherearth is dying. i said that on the contrary, the earth is rejecting the virus and trying to get rid of the people, so motherearth can survive.
in the medieval days, when people do not know how to pollute the earth, motherearth had already tried to get rid of humans by plagues, fires, earthquakes, typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, you name it.
now we are being beset by these calamaties once again as a sign, i suppose that motherearth was fed up and spewing her fury again to get rid the earth with humans.
i just hope that motherearth get rid first of the Sulpicio Lines Executives, Marina Executives, Corrupt Government Officials in the executive department, congress and the Supreme Court, corrupt media practitioners and spare the common man on the streets.
nosi balasi
June 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
ooops i am very sorry pedestrian observer, yes it was not jcc’s line, when i was writing my post above, i was drying up my last bottle of heineken…medyo tipsy…lusot na ha…yah man (jamaican accent).
jcc, the weather here in the Cayman Islands is always good..the sun always shining…and it is really hot! just let me know if you will going to this island. And i believe the 28th (29 sa pinas) is the much awaited fight of manny pacquiao…whoa!…wala nang espanyol na makipagpustahan sa akin dito…sayang nadala na siguro…kailan kaya madadala ang Sulpicio Lines…well dami nilang pera…panglagay kay bogart.
jcc
June 27th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
nosi,
my itinerary is with the my son and would not know if we will visit the cayman island. please email me your phone number at jcamano@sbcglobal.net we’ll proceed from there.
alecks, sorry for the officious use of your site for personal networking.
jr_lad
June 27th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
the license of sulpicio lines should now be canceled. they should not be allowed to operate anymore w/ this latest sea tragedy involving yet again one of their ships.
the latest report, another violation of sulpicio lines was the carrying on board of a toxic chemical (fertilizer). reportedly, it should not be allowed on a passenger’s ship and sulpicio’s management did not even report it to the authorities endangering the lives of the divers who are conducting retrieval operation on the sunken ship.
i can’t imagine how they can still get away with this. they should be prosecuted.
naykika
June 28th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
with the phrase corruption kills, it too can buy (as in Bribes) a licence to operate as in getting a franchise to operate a liner that is even more unsafe and break every Maritime Rules and Shipping Prohibitions Rules..Corruptions can do just about everything, killing and money making at the same time…
nosi balasi
June 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
corruption is a pollutant that needs to be washed or filtered…or the eyes of every Filipino needs a Visine drops… to see clearly. asa pa tayo…la na pagasa…living in our country is like joining a survival series..only the strong and corrupt will survive.