EDITORIAL - Another tragedy at sea

As of last night, 18 people were confirmed dead from the sinking of the roll-on/roll-off vessel Trisha Kerstin 3 at around 1:50 a.m. yesterday off Basilan. With dozens more still missing, the death toll could rise.

Authorities said the ro-ro, operated by Aleson Shipping Lines, sailed out of Zamboanga City at past 9 p.m. on Sunday night with 332 passengers and 27 crew members. Philippine Coast Guard officials said this was within the vessel’s authorized capacity of 352.

The likely cause of the accident remains unclear. Survivors told Basilan officials that the sea was calm and the weather fine.

But the tragedy should serve as a reminder that ensuring the seaworthiness of all ships operating in the country is a year-long undertaking. This is a safety measure that should not wait for the approach of the typhoon season.

Some of the deadliest maritime disasters in the country occurred outside the wet season, notably the worst – the collision of the ferry Doña Paz and oil tanker Vector on Dec. 20, 1987, which killed nearly 4,400 people.

The owner of Doña Paz, Sulpicio Lines Inc., later resumed operations. It rebranded itself as Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. after its largest passenger ferry, the Princess of the Stars, sank off Romblon during the 2008 typhoon season, leaving at least 814 people dead.

Aleson has had its share of maritime accidents in its nearly five decades of operation. Near the site where the Trisha Kerstin 3 sank, off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan, another Aleson vessel – the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 – caught fire while plying the same sea route in March 2023. At the time, it was the deadliest disaster in the company’s history; at least 31 people died and seven went missing.

In July 2002, the vessel Aleson Container Carrier 5 collided with another ship off Cebu; one fatality was reported. In March 2003, Aleson’s MV Ciara Joie capsized off Bacolod during loading; there were no fatalities.

Two accidents involving Aleson vessels occurred in 2016, with no casualties: the MV Lady Mary Joy 1 ran aground near Tawi-Tawi capital Bongao in February, while the MV Danica Joy capsized and partially sank at the Zamboanga port, after all the passengers had already disembarked.

After the Lady Mary Joy disaster in 2023, the Maritime Industry Authority ordered an inspection of all Aleson vessels. The latest disaster involving the Trisha Kerstin 3 could indicate the outcome of those inspections.