How to prevent future sea mishaps

Two prominent Cebuanos serving the Arroyo Cabinet have been given new tasks. First is Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano who has been given the additional post of "Champion for Development in Central Visayas," while our old buddy, Government Mass Media Group Secretary Cerge M. Remonde, has been given the post of Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) in Central Visayas. Since I’m still a private sector member of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Region VII, it would be a great way of seeing these two friends in action… helping Central Visayas.

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Because of the prevailing winds and strong current, the oil spill that has destroyed the shorelines of Guimaras Island, Panay and Negros Occidental up north, might just threaten the island of Bantayan north of Cebu. Residents there have already volunteered to do something about this even before the oil spill hits the shore. Meanwhile, here’s a very interesting letter from my mail, which is self-explanatory:

"Dear Bobit, I have been an avid reader of your columns. My lovely Filipina wife and I decided to retire in Dumaguete eight years ago after over 30 years as a ship captain in the international trade. Your fearless writing style truly captivates anyone who is interested in moving this country forward, capitalizing on the beauty of its islands, its friendly people, and its abundant national resources. I write to you more particularly about the last two major oil spills your islands have been devastatingly subjected to.

"Having commanded several vessels, including tankers, within Asia and the Middle East before retiring, I still get the urge to smell that sea air once again and the challenges of confronting the rigors of the seas. Having been tempted to operate my own vessel(s) here, I have done considerable research in domestic shipping operations by visiting numerous ports, talking to ship owners, port authorities, the MARINA, and the Philippine Coast Guard.

"I find it so ironic that when these disasters occur, the newspapers continuously write about them for two to three weeks, and then sense they are no longer newsworthy, and the problem seems to go away. They write about millions of pesos needed to clean up the spill, and much more in losses for the ensuing damage to the natural environment. Where will all this money come from? Insurance underwriters will surely not cover a great portion of these funds. And even then, when? This again is our Band Aid mentality — ‘fix it when it breaks.’

"Why not move to prevent these sea disasters with the proper funding, coupled with stricter implementation of regulatory requirements and professional vessel inspections? The maritime authorities go through the motions but always end up short of funds or lose interest. Where then are the funds coming from to clean up the spill, before the protection and indemnity insurance (P&I) is settled and paid, if there was any sufficient coverage to begin with?

"An article on this last week initiated me to write you about these sea tragedies for whatever it is worth. These disasters are news for a while, and then nothing is heard about the results of the marine investigations, those responsible, penalties or imprisonment of those found guilty or negligent, or if the case is ever settled. Where is the deterrent for those responsible (and) accountable? Are there any plans yet to impose more serious regulatory requirements to address and prevent these disasters?

"These last two oil spills were caused by strong winds, big waves, and poor judgment. Strong northeastern winds on the Semirara grounding/spill, and strong southwest winds on the Guimaras sinking. These winds occur every year, with or without typhoons in the vicinity, and anywhere there is ‘reach’ or a long stretch of open sea, there will be big waves. Both cases were only the captain’s decision to continue navigating, in spite of the prevailing sea conditions. Broadside winds on starboard at Semirara, and starboard quarter southwest winds and waves from Guimaras to Zamboanga (that’s over 200 miles of open seas). You would have to have a very capable captain and a specially very fit vessel to withstand those sea conditions with a fully laden small tanker.

"My information is that the MT Solar 1 was just dry-docked recently. Even if it was less than two years ago, tankers have to be class-maintained according to MARINA and IMO rules. During dry-docking periods, the classification societies are responsible for identifying all the necessary repairs on the vessel for its operational fitness, and attesting repairs are carried out acceptably before a new certificate is issued. I trust that Petron which chartered the vessel would like to see this document first before they deploy the vessel.

"The article I mentioned supposedly taken from the crew was confusing in this respect because if air cannot vent neither can seawater enter in. I suspect either the vents were not properly working or the vent standpipe broke off due to the heavy seas. This is why they used a wooden plug as a temporary repair while sheltered. However, the captain proceeded to sail again even if he would have seen the big white cap waves while leaving Guimaras. It was his call to continue. If the air vents of the other 10 tanks were defective, then the oil in those tanks will continue to exit underwater until those tanks are displaced with seawater. So there will be oil spilling for a long time. I hope I’m wrong.

"As far as salvaging the vessel at over 400 fathoms, this is not practical. I would suggest they send down an ROV after they find the vessel with a Side Scan Sonar so that it can be established where the leaks are coming from, and from this determine how much leakage/spill is expected. Then hope for calmer weather to continue skimming what comes up. Coastal cleanup is inevitable.

"Now if only domestic vessels are inspected properly by domestic or international classification societies and the MARINA inspectors, and repairs are carried out before being able to operate, then these risks would be minimized. However, as an experienced captain, in spite of the vessel’s operational capability, it is still the captain’s decisions and responsibility that must take precedence. Even double-hulled tankers can have defective air vents. Often, ship owners or cargo owners say to the captain, ‘there’s no typhoon, the waves can’t be that big, why don’t you sail?’ They can be so wrong. Bobit, this is my two cents’ worth. Hope it doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Keep up the good work. Capt. Carl S. Knudsen, Ret."

Thanks for the readership, Captain. I reprinted your letter to make sure our readers get to see it from your point of view. Thanks!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns in The Freeman can also be accessed through The Philippine STAR website (www.philstar.com). He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable. Bobit’s columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com.