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OIL-tanker operators in the country want carriers that
serve the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to be exempt
from the penalty on the use of double- hull vessels to
avoid additional increases in power rates.
In an
appeal to the Maritime Industry Authority, or Marina,
the Philippine Petroleum Sea Transport Association (Philpesta)
and the Association of Tanker Owners of the Philippines
(Atophil) said there are at least seven vessels the
regularly transport fuel for Napocor’s power plants.
They
said Marina should either lower the rate or exempt the
vessels from the P25,000-per-day penalty since the cost
maybe eventually passed on to consumers through power
rate increases.
The
vessels that have a special permit to carry fuel for
Napocor include the MT Bangungon, MT Kuhol and MT Diwal,
owned by Magasaysay’s Batangas Bay Carriers Inc.; and MT
Pors 1, MT Linpors, MT Angelita and MT Petrolino Dos,
owned by Chelsea Shipping Corp.
The
other vessel that got a special permit from Marina was
the MT Petrotrade 8 of Petrotrade Philippines Inc.
“The
owners/operators of the vessels have already commenced
the conversion of their existing barges and/or
acquisition of newly built double- hull tanker-barges
and will definitely complete their ‘double-hull’ program
on or before the last day of February 2009,” the groups
said in the appeal signed by Philpesta chairman Gerardo
Santos and Atophil president Oscar Orbeta.
Early
last year Marina issued a ruling that outlawed the use
of single-hull vessels to transport black oil on
Philippine waters after April 30, 2008.
The
oil-tanker groups appealed to Marina, whose board is
headed by the Secretary of the Department of
Transportation and Communications. The country shipping
regulator allowed single-hull tankers to carry oil
provided the operators secure a special permit from the
Marina office.
That
permit, however, carries a fine of P25,000 per day on
top of a cash or surety bond the ship owner or operator
must place with Marina.
Operators condemned the measure as much to harsh, and
argued with the authority that they cannot simply
convert their vessels to double hull or buy a new ship
to comply with the law as both options require millions
of pesos to put in place.
Marina
explained the bond is a financial security in case of an
oil spill involving single-hull vessels that operate on
special permit.
The
owners of the vessels have obtained a P5-million
callable surety bond from Pioneer Insurance & Surety
Corp. in favor of Marina.
Tanker
operators earlier asked for an extension of the
double-hull policy to February next year. Marina’s
board, however, decided that vessels carrying persistent
oil should comply before the year ends. At least 20
tanker-barges transport black oil along coastal waters. |
