CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Tuesday, January 27, ordered the grounding of the entire passenger fleet of Zamboanga City-based Aleson Shipping Lines as investigators probe the sinking of one of its vessels, M/V Trisha Kirstin 3, off Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan, a day earlier.

The move followed Lopez’s discovery that Aleson had allegedly been involved in 32 maritime incidents over a seven-year period.

The January 26 tragedy has claimed at least 18 lives, including a child. Ten others, mostly crew members, remain missing. 

Search and rescue operations continued for the missing, including the ship captain and a marshal. 

Authorities earlier said the ferry was not overloaded in terms of passenger number. They cited data showing there were 317 passengers on board, along with 27 crew members, although the manifest listed 332 passengers, some of whom apparently did not board. The vessel’s maximum capacity is 352.

Lopez asked the PCG to conduct a 15-day investigation into the incident. 

He also directed the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the PCG to conduct a maritime safety audit of Aleson and its crew within 10 days, and ordered a similar audit of the country’s entire domestic fleet. 

A full investigation would be conducted as ordered by Malacañang, Lopez said.

He said the DOTr would hold those responsible accountable, including government officials and the ship owner if the investigation showed they were at fault.

“When it comes to maritime safety, that is not negotiable, that is not optional. Business considerations are just secondary,” he said.

“If we exact accountability [from] the ship owners, we are going to exact higher accountability from [people in] government,” Lopez told a news conference streamed live on Facebook.

Lopez said he had reviewed Aleson’s records and noted the firm had logged 32 maritime incidents since 2019, including Monday’s tragedy. In March 2023, more than 30 people died when another Aleson passenger vessel, M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, caught fire off the same island near Basilan.

“So I’m asking MARINA: What did we do for the last how many years? Where are the reports? What were our shortcomings?” he said, hinting at the need for policy review and changes.

A possible cause of the sinking under review is the failure of lashing securing vehicles on board, which may have shifted due to waves and contributed to the vessel listing, according to Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso in a video interview posted by GMA News. Olaso is a former ship captain and, incidentally, a son-in-law of the owner of Aleson Shipping.

Meanwhile, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said an initial team of six technical divers would be deployed to Basilan on Wednesday, January 28, followed later by 10 others to assist in the ongoing search and investigation. – Rappler.com