Ferry probe: Who left door open?

MANILA, Philippines - Did someone let in the water that sank the ship?

The Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) is investigating the possibility that the side door of the M/V SuperFerry 9 was left open when the ship left the harbor and sank off Zamboanga del Norte, killing 10 people last Sept. 6.

This was disclosed yesterday by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vice commandant for administration Rear Admiral Alejandro Flora.

He said the side door of the SuperFerry 9, which is located on the lower portion of the ship, serves as the entry and exit point of harbor pilots whenever they have to come on board to help steer the vessel in and out of the port. They also use the side door when they have to load bunker fuel.

He said when the vessel left General Santos City port at 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 5, it did not load bunker fuel but a harbor pilot reportedly passed through the side door to get to the bridge. Habor pilots who are familiar with the port and know the shallow areas usually assist the vessel in maneuvering in and out of the port.

“The side door should always be closed. In the M/V SuperFerry 9 this is the door closest to the water. If it was not closed or sealed tight and as the vessel listed 25 degrees, it would have been exposed to the water,” said Flora.

“Even if it was listing 25 degrees it would not have sunk for as long as there was no ingress of water, it would not have caused the weights to shift,” he added.

The members of the BMI are traveling to General Santos City and Iloilo this week to interview the survivors of the sea tragedy, Flora said.

He said they would also try to look for the Gen. Santos harbor pilot who assisted the vessel in its last voyage, hoping to verify whether the side door was closed tightly when he disembarked.

Probers also want to know who among the crew was in charge of closing the side door of the vessel, which is owned by the Aboitiz Transport Services Corp.

Initial investigation showed that the SuperFerry 9 left General Santos port last Sept. 5, for a two-day voyage to Iloilo. The ship was expected to arrive at the Iloilo Port at around 1 p.m. the next day.

The PCG said at around 3:30 a.m. last Sept. 6 the vessel tilted 25 degrees toward its starboard side. The ship captain reportedly ordered the crew and passengers to abandon ship, but some of the passengers refused to leave the ship to wait for sunrise before jumping into the water, believing that it would be easier for the Search And Rescue (SAR) vessels to see and rescue them. 

The vessel sank at 9:30 a.m. or six hours after the people were ordered to abandon ship. More than 900 people survived and 10 were reported dead.