Tragedies, not resignations, could happen in Phl

The sinking of the South Korean ferry MS Sewol is an accident that could happen in the Philippines. Apart from the fact that our country still allows the acquisition of sea-going vessels that are about 20 years old and subject them to modifications, there are also indications of laxity in implementing maritime safety standards as borne by numerous sea-related tragedies that occurred in the past.

Unsafe modifications

MS Sewol, formerly Ferry Naminoue that plied the waters of Japan for 18 years, was bought by a South Korean maritime company in 2012, and before operating again, was modified by adding extra passengers cabins on the third, fourth and fifth decks.

This effectively increased the weight of the ship by 239 tons and raised the passenger capacity of the vessel by 181. These modifications on a relatively old vessel are believed to have contributed to MS Sewol “losing” its equilibrium.

And as better reports of what happened before the vessel started taking in water and subsequently listing to its side were collated, it became apparent that a ship’s sudden sharp turn was exacerbated by the redesign since the top had become much heavier than the original.

Crew errors

Aside from the failings that came from a poorly reengineered ferry, the crew including its captain contributed also in a big way to the sinking vessel which consequently lost more than 300 of its passengers, many of which were school children on a four-day field trip.

Subsequent analysis has put forward a theory that the ferry had been speeding way faster than it should have, and that it had to slow down and make a sharp turn to avoid an obstacle. This resulted in its cargo shifting to one side, and aggravating the initial tilting caused by the sharp turn.

Manning the bridge before the accident was reportedly a crew officer, an inexperienced third helmsman, not the captain. When the captain took back the helm to attempt to re-balance the ship, by then, aggravating consequences made it already impossible to save the vessel from capsizing.

Regulatory remiss and rescue paralysis

During the crucial moments when a well-drilled crew should have been concerned with and acting to save the passengers from the dangers posed by a sinking ship, there had been multiple reports of indecision and inability to make a correct decision on the part of the ship’s captain.

When passengers were commanded to stay in the boat’s belly as the ferry was sinking fast, the chances of saving them even if they had worn life vests was close to nil. The capsized MS Sewol, therefore, became an inescapable trap as sea water filled up.

To add insult to injury, the captain evacuated the ship to save himself way before many of its passengers. This act itself is in violation of one of maritime law’s universal edicts where the captain is expected to be the last man out of his sinking ship.

And finally, there are reasons to believe that the government agencies in charge of safeguarding maritime industry operations were remiss in their duties and therefore, have their share of culpability in the tragedy.

Familiar story

Does the tragic accident of MS Sewol sound familiar?

Like the Philippines, Korea’s domestic shipping industry is vital to its economy, not just to transport goods, but also people who have become important to the growing local tourism industry.

In Korea, like in the Philippines, there is feeling of “deep-rooted corruption” in the implementation of maritime safety standards. This was expressed by no less than the Korean Prime Minister when he announced his acceptance of responsibility for the tragedy and resigned from his office.

Filipino local shipping companies, like its Korean counterparts, also buy ships that are over 20 years old. It is highly possible that corrosion has affected the thickness of the metal plates from two decades of use and made these thinner and, therefore, more susceptible to metal fatigue, including faster wear and tear.

In the same case, the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority approves alterations to second-hand vessels without the approval of internationally recognized classification agencies. Worse, modifications of Philippine vessels are done under the supervision of the local class which apparently does not have the capability to accurately calculate stability.

Learning from others

South Korea is expected to introduce corrections in its local shipping policies that will right whatever wrongdoings that would have been established as cause of the tragedy that is MS Sewol. It is, after all, a country that has displayed great resilience and ability to transcend challenges to be able to move forward.

The current policies that allow old second-hand vessels to be acquired for use in domestic shipping should firstly be reviewed. Korean maritime regulatory agencies should also look into the wisdom of shipping lines to re-engineer these old vessels, especially when its stability would be affected.

Closer regard to international shipping standards must be considered, even if the vessels are to be used only for domestic ferrying purposes. There seems to be wisdom in the Japanese shipping policy to let go of vessels that are 20 years old.

While we condole with the grief of the families of those found dead or forever missing from the sinking of MS Sewol, the Philippines must also seize the opportunity to scrutinize its domestic shipping policies to ensure that a similar accident will not happen on our seas.

However, if Marina does not take any remedial actions, I’m afraid that what happened in South Korea is a tragedy waiting to happen in our shores.

Sense of guilt

The sense of guilt among South Koreans who feel responsible for the senseless deaths of hundreds of their countrymen can be felt in a big way: the prime minister has resigned, and the assistant school principal that allowed the school activity took his own life. 

While these will not bring back the lives of those who died, the actions of those who felt responsible does help assuage to some degree the grief of family and relatives.

Unfortunately, as our past history has demonstrated, such collective acceptance of responsibility among our countrymen held responsible to similar incidents is not apparent. And so likely, South Korea’s tragedy may not trigger any response from our regulators and local industry.

And that’s just going to be too bad.

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