Broken System

Excerpt: The Board of Marine Inquiry hearings on the M/V Princess of the Stars disaster are not over but some obvious conclusions may now be made. Meanwhile some “facts” are already known, among them:
- The M/V Princess of the Stars is a passenger ferry, not a cargo ship. But the ship was carrying toxic cargo.
- The ship’s ballast tanks were not filled to capacity, precisely to accommodate the cargo. Ballasts are necessary to stabilize ships in strong-wind and big-wave situations.

Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, irked by Sulpicio Lines’ ability to go unpunished all these years despite the tragedies its ships have been involved in, wants special courts created to hear maritime cases. He calls the Philippine record of maritime disasters “deplorable.” He calls the shipping companies “unscrupulous” and deplores their ability to escape their liabilities.

Source: Shiptalk News dated July 6, 2008

Personal Note: I cannot help but be sorry by what Sen. Pangilinan has commented regarding the issue about escaping liabilities. No further inquiry is needed, because for me the facts stated above is enough to declare conviction of a case. Persons liable can be pinpointed already based on the facts: The Company itself, The Master of the ship, the Port Captain, Phil. Ports Authority, and the Phil Coast Guard. A broken system indeed …..