Terrorism eyed in ship blast

Authorities looking into the Tuesday night explosion that rocked the engine room of the MV Butuan Bay I and killed three people and injured more than a dozen others yesterday said they are not ruling out terrorism as a possible cause of the blast.

Commodore Alejandro Flora, the Philippine Coast Guard Central Eastern Visayas district commander, said they are not discounting the possiblity that explosives may have been smuggled on board and that the explosion was a deliberate act of terrorism.

But Flora made it clear that this was just a possibility that cannot be ruled out at the moment and that it should not in any way be understood as a definite finding.

To look deeper into the terrorism angle, which involves a criminal act, Flora said investigators are calling for technical support from both the police criminal and forensic investigators and military explosives experts.

He said that if no signs of explosives or explosive devices are found then other possibilities will be looked into, such as the possibility that the explosion was caused by mechanical malfunction or improper maintenance on board the ship.

In 2004, the world’s worst maritime terrorist attack happened in the Philippines when bombs planted on board the Superferry 14 as it left Manila for Bacolod City exploded, triggering a fire that engulfed the entire ship, sinking it and killing more than a hundred people.

The Abu Sayyaf, a band of terrorists with links to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Asian arm of al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for that attack.      

Flora said that if the possibility of a criminal terrorist act is ruled out, then the investigation will move to its administrative phase and the Special Board of Marine Inquiry will take over the probe.

Police Chief Inspector Romer Daguno, who is heading the criminal investigation of the incident, said they started going through the vessel yesterday but have not made a thorough sweep for clues.

He said his team and the management of Carlos A. Gothing Shipping Lines, the owner of the vessel, have agreed that they first confer to familiarize investigators with parts of the ship that can potentially explode.

“ We are puzzled at the moment because we are not familiar with the different parts of the ship and its engines. We need to be appraised of the possible causes for something in the engine room to explone so that we can have something to proceed from, “ Dugano said in Cebuano.

What investigators have found so far were swaths of oil on the decks and pieces of what looked like aluminum foil.

Maritime Industry Authority regional director Glenn Cabanez said he is awaiting word from his head office in Manila on whether or not an order should be given to ground the remaining ships of the Gothong.

The company has assured relatives of the victims that it will shoulder all expenses related to the incident.

The Butuan Bay I was bound for Ozamiz City from Cebu with more than 500 passengers and crew on board when the explosion happened.

The ship left Pier 7 on schedule at 7 p.m. Tuesday when about 30 minutes later a loud blast ripped through the engine room and plunged the vessel into darkness.

Three members of the crew who were in the engine room at the time — second engineer Jimmy Manreal, apprentice engineer Clarito Tagalog and maritime student intern Jefferson Esguerra perished instantly in the blast.

Those injured and brought to various hospitals with severe burns were chief engineer Entece Nicostrato, Lumina Nicostrato, Rosa Molina, Rodrigo Frejones, Felnor Cabog, German Navarro, Ma Theresa Cabalan, Daniel Francisco, Chris Aring, Marichelle Caballero, Julieto Malinao, Aiza Defamante, Queenie Bacondador, and Wencell Claro.

Most  victims were occupying cots near the engine room.

The ship headed back to port but passengers had to wait for a while before they could disembark because the blast knocked off the power to lower the gangplank and the device had to be lowered manually, said Coast Guard Cebu commander Elpidio Gunio. — Flor Perolina, Gerome Dalipe/JST