All Sulpicio, 2Go ships suspended

MANILA, Philippines - The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) on Saturday ordered all ships of Sulpicio Lines and 2G0 Shipping Lines grounded following the deadly mishap in Talisay City, Cebu.

Marina chief Maximo Mejia Jr. said the ships were suspended so they can be inspected by the authorities.

The Marina immediatley started an investigation after passenger ship MV St. Thomas Aquinas sank following a collision with cargo vessel Sulpicio Express 7 in waters near the seaport of Talisay City on Friday night.

At least 31 people have been confirmed killed and 172 passengers remained missing as of 2 p.m.

Mejia, meanwhile, said that they have already checked the papers of the two ships and "found all certificates are in order."

"There is no reason to believe that the incident has anything to do with questions of stability of structural integrity of the ships,” he said.

However, he said that all of the ships of the two companies should still be subjected to rigid inspection to ensure their trustworthiness.

“It was also decided that the immediate inspection be reinforced by a suspension order of all the ships belonging to the two companies and many of these ships are still out at sea but the directive is for these ships be immediately inspected as soon as they arrive in port,” Mejia said.

He said he has instructed all Marina regional chiefs to lead the inspection of the ships.

Mejia said that further investigations will be conducted to determine which ship was responsible for the mishap.