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DEL
Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) on Wednesday showed
documents that would disprove the claim of Sulpicio
Lines—owner of the stricken MV Princess of the
Stars—that it misdeclared the endosulfan cargo it
shipped onboard the upturned vessel.
In a
press briefing at the Board of Marine Inquiry offices
in Port Area, Manila, after the board canceled the
hearing on the sea tragedy, Del Monte general manager
Luis Alejandro presented papers—the bill of lading,
commercial invoice, packing-weight list, certificates of
insurance and analysis and material safety data sheet (MSDS)—that
the pineapple giant showed to Sulpicio when it shipped
the cargo.
The bill
of lading specifically indicates the endosulfan to be
toxic and a marine pollutant, while the MSDS sets forth
details on the endosulfan, including composition,
ingredients, physical and chemical properties,
toxicological information and hazards, Alejandro said.
“The
endosulfan cargo arrived in Manila from Israel, for
transshipment to Cagayan de Oro. Del Monte, through its
broker, had presented all relevant documents to Sulpicio
showing the name and nature of the endosulfan cargo,”
said Alejandro in a statement.
“The
integrity and reputation of DMPI as a responsible
corporate citizen has been unduly compromised by these
baseless allegations, and we hope these papers will
clear up the air.”
He said
Del Monte has been importing endosulfan for decades,
and, as a matter of standard practice, it has always
provided these required documents to its local carriers.
DMPI
also said the container van used to load the endosulfan
cargo prominently displayed on four sides the standard
markings and codes that show the toxic nature of the
cargo and the fact that it is a potential marine
pollutant.
“As a
shipping line, Sulpicio cannot claim to have missed,
much less claim ignorance of, these international
standard markings and codes,” the statement added.
On
Sulpicio’s claims that Del Monte misdeclared the cargo
to save on shipping costs, Alejandro said the cargo
rates submitted to DMPI by the shipping company are
uniform across all types of raw-material cargo.
DMPI
wondered why Sulpicio accepted the cargo if the
documentation was allegedly faulty, saying it has always
complied with all applicable laws, regulations and
practices with respect to the importation of its
materials and supplies.
“This is
the first time a carrier has questioned the adequacy of
our documentation in importing an item which we have
been importing for decades,” Alejandro added. |
