Sulpicio terminates retrieval of victims from sunken ferry

MANILA, Philippines – After 16 days and the recovery of 199 bodies, an official of Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) yesterday said that the salvaging firm Harbor Star has terminated its search and recovery operations on the sunken M/V Princess of the Stars.

SLI vice president for marketing Jordan Go said they ended their search and rescue operations yesterday afternoon. “Tapos na ngayon (It’s finished now) because we could no longer find any bodies inside the ship.”

He said the 18 divers of Harbor Star have checked everywhere inside the ship and could no longer find any remains. “Why should we risk the health and safety of the divers? They have done their service, they have done the sweep.”

Captain Lino Paiton, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on-site commander, said that as of 4 p.m. yesterday the divers found seven more bodies from deck A or the passenger suites, taking the final body count to 199.

Go, on the other hand, said he does not know if Task Force Princess of the Stars (TF-POTS) would ask him to submit a report certifying their completion of phase 2, or the retrieval of the bodies from the ill-fated ship.

SLI commenced phase 2 on Oct. 26 and their divers went into the Sibuyan waters everyday.

The only time they weren’t able to dive was last Nov. 7, because of storm “Quinta.”

SLI earlier completed phase one, which is the recovery of toxic chemicals, including the hydrocarbons (bunker fuel) from the Princess of the Stars.

However, half a kilo of trap, 10 kilos of antracol, 1 liter of tamaron and 6,500 liters of hydrocarbons have not been recovered.

The next phase is the removal of the wreck from Sibuyan Sea, which they hope to complete next month.

But Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said that while SLI has terminated phase 2, they have not yet formally accepted the termination.

“While the salvors claim that they have scoured all the places in the ship for the passengers, for the PCG it is not yet over until they submit a comprehensive report to the TF-POTS. There is no formal closure,” Tamayo said.

“They have to submit a report and convince us. If it is satisfactory then we go to phase 3 (the removal of the 23,000-gross ton passenger and cargo vessel).”

The TF-POTS hopes to complete the three phases of the operation before Dec. 25.

Tamayo was in Masbate yesterday while President Arroyo was visiting the families of the victims of the M/B Don Dexter.

He said it is part of procedure that SLI and Harbor Star submit a comprehensive report just like what they did in phase one or during the removal of toxic cargo from the ship.

Never giving up

Meanwhile, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, who represents the families of the victims, appealed to the PCG and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) not to give up the search.

Tamayo assured Acosta and the relatives that they would ask the salvors to continue looking for bodies even if they are already removing the wreck from the site.

The divers could have encountered technical difficulties and limitations in the length of the umbilical cord or oxygen line that restricted their movements underwater.

“If we go to phase 3 it will be a continuing effort to locate the bodies because this is the most important phase of our salvaging operations,” the PCG official added.

Acosta said they sent a representative, Levi Samuel, to Sibuyan Island to monitor the progress of phase 2. “But he was not allowed to come close to the ship.”

Had Samuel been provided with information, he would have confirmed and reassured the families that all efforts were made to locate and recover the bodies.

The PCG Commandant said he would raise the matter before the TF-POTS, chaired by Transportation Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Ma. Elena Bautista. “We know how many we are looking for and we are exerting our best effort to extract the optimum number (of bodies).”

Search and rescue still on

Meanwhile, Tamayo said there has been no changes in their partial initial tally of 42 dead, 101 survivors and nine missing in the Nov. 6 M/B Don Dexter tragedy.

He added that he is not inclined to call off the search and rescue operations for the victims.

President Arroyo earlier visited Masbate and instructed the Marina to deputize the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group and the Bantay Dagat of the local government in conducting vessel safety checks. – Serafin Jopel Esmiller III