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THE
Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) said it cannot act
on the request of Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) to allow its
passenger-cargo vessels to set sail after an audit
inspection as the shipping regulator starts hearing on
whether or not to cancel the operator’s franchise.
Primo
Rivera, Marina deputy administrator, told reporters on
Tuesday that the audit team has found “deficiencies” on
the inspected vessels of SLI.
This
meant, according to Rivera, that the shipping firm, one
of the largest in the country, will have to comply first
with the necessary measures before it can be allowed to
operate as usual.
Rivera
declined to reveal Sulpicio’s fleet deficiencies as the
initial report of the Marina audit team will still be
elevated to the technical group, followed by another
audit inspection to determine if the company has
complied.
“Their
case [of whether or not the vessels may be allowed to
sail] may be elevated to the Marina board,” Rivera said.
A
special Marina board meeting is scheduled later this
week, but since there are deficiencies on some of the
vessels, the grounding of Sulpicio’s vessels may have to
continue.
At the
moment, Marina’s audit team has finished auditing at
least seven of the 13 remaining roll-on, roll-off (Roro)
passenger vessels of Sulpicio.
There
are preliminary-inspection reports involving MV Princess
of the South, MV Cagayan Princess, MV Princess of the
Earth, MV Palawan Princess and MV Princess of Paradise.
There were also audit reports for MV Princess of the
Ocean and MV Princess of the Universe, but both vessels
are currently on scheduled dry dock.
The
other vessels that will still have to undergo inspection
are MV Princess of the Caribbean, MV Cebu Princess, MV
Cotabato Princess, MV Dipolog Princess, MV Filipina
Princess and MV Tacloban Princess.
On
Friday Arthur Lim, legal counsel of SLI, submitted a
prayer before Marina to allow the inspected vessels to
continue their operation as grounding the ships much
longer would exacerbate losses on the company’s
revenues.
“We have
a prayer or a request to the Marina to allow the vessels
with their respective voyages, since they have already
been inspected and no violation was made,” Lim said.
“We
don’t know the reason why Marina is holding them. We
have complete papers and documents and...Marina itself
has issued those papers to us,” he said.
At the
hearing of the Marina on the cancellation of the
franchise of Sulpicio on Tuesday, Lim reiterated the
request of the company to let go of its ships after
inspection and the audit should be done “expeditiously”
since the company has commitments to its shipping
customers. He also warned that the company might face
lawsuits if it continues to renege on its commitments.
The
Marina only grounded the cargo-passenger vessels of
Sulpicio since including its eight remaining freighter
vessels may result in the imbalance of cargo movements
in the country. The grounding of the Roro vessels, on
the other hand, may also lead to higher shipping demand
since Sulpicio’s freighter vessels cannot accept rolling
cargoes, or those goods carried by trucks for
distribution elsewhere in the country.
On the
other hand, even if the company is allowed to operate
the vessels, Sulpicio still needs to convince the Marina
why it should not cancel its franchise, or the company’s
certificate of public convenience, as a result of the
sinking of MV Princess of the Stars on June 21.
The said
measure is a standard procedure of the agency whenever
there is a sea mishap. Aboitiz Transport System Corp.
also faced the same hearings on its franchise after the
sinking of SuperFerry 14 in February 2004.
The
Marina hearings are set to continue for the rest of the
month, alongside the Board of Marine Inquiry and the
congressional investigations. |
