The Bicol Roro Shipping Operators Association (BRSOA) has asked the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to launch a “thorough investigation” into what it alleges is a systemic practice by some shipowners of under-reporting vessel gross tonnage (GT) and engine propulsion output.
The Bicol Roro Shipping Operators Association represents roll-on/roll-off and inter-island ferry operators serving the Bicol Region. The group’s legal counsel Lyndon Ancajas Jr., said in a letter to MARINA administrator Sonia Malaluan that the alleged malpractice is intended to place vessels in lower regulatory categories. This, the group claims, allows operators to circumvent stricter safety and manning requirements and reduce statutory fees owed to government agencies.
The association provided MARINA with documents and specific examples of vessels it claims have been misdeclared, urging the agency to verify the findings.
“Accurate declaration of a vessel’s size and engine power is fundamental to seaworthiness, correct manning, proper safety equipment and equitable fee assessment,” Ancajas said in the letter.
The BRSOA said if the allegations are proven, “passengers and crew are being placed at unacceptable risk while compliant operators and the State incur unfair losses.”
The BRSOA cited numerous large landing craft tank (LCT) cargo vessels, many of which now carry passengers, that it claims show “significant gaps” between their actual and reported specifications.
The association said statutory fees, including annual coastwise license charges to MARINA and port dues to the Philippine Ports Authority, are based on a vessel’s gross tonnage. Under-reporting, the BRSOA said, results in the underpayment of these fees, depriving government agencies of rightful revenue.
The BRSOA formally requested MARINA to conduct immediate physical inspections and a comprehensive audit of the vessels on a furnished master list to verify actual tonnage and engine specifications against declared records.
It also asked MARINA to suspend passenger-carrying operations of vessels found to be misdeclared until documentation is corrected and the vessels are reclassified to fully comply with all applicable safety, manning, and equipment standards.
It also asked MARINA to engage the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant authorities to investigate the “possible role of certain foreign shipbuilders” in any misdeclaration scheme.
