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OCEANIC
Container Lines Inc., owner of sunken vessel MV Ocean
Papa, wants government to stop the retrieval operations
of its missing containers from the ship after more than
two months of search operations.
In a
letter to Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) in late
August, Oceanic said it wants to stop the search and
retrieval operation as this may endanger the lives of
the team that is doing the search.
The
company also asserted the chemical toluene diisocyanate
or TDI that sank with the Ocean Papa is not a marine
pollutant.
In a
testimony during a hearing in Marina on Friday,
Oceanic’s port captain Romeo Morandante said the
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Iloilo has blocked such
move as a result of the pressure from the local
government units.
Oceanic’s team of divers is working hand-in-hand with
the PCG officials in its retrieval operations.
Oceanic’s legal counsel said there is a “psychological
pressure” against the company to find the missing cargo
because of the endusulfan scare, the cargo loaded that
is still inside Sulpicio Lines Inc.’s MV Princess of the
Stars.
Princess
and Ocean Papa both sank on June 21 at the height of
Typhoon Frank.
Marina
is hearing the case on the possible cancellation of
Oceanic’s franchise.
To
support its request to end the search operations—with
the possibility that the cargo maybe have reached an
“un-divable” portion of the ocean floor more than 200
feet deep, Oceanic has argued that TDI is not a marine
pollutant and that the search for it unnecessary.
TDI is
used to manufacture flexible foams for upholstery,
mattresses and automotive seats.
The
Marina panel hearing the case, coheaded by Jean Ver Pia
wanted to engage expert opinion to test Oceanic’s
argument regarding the chemical cargo.
The
company’s port manager also said the company did not
violate any rule since the vessel set sail on June 19, a
day before typhoon Frank entered the country’s area of
responsibility.
Ocean
Papa sunk off Maralison Island in Antique, killing four
of its 28 crew members including the captain, chief
cook, chief mate and fourth engineer.
Of 160
containers the vessel carried, 80 are still missing
including 80 drums of TDI loaded inside a 20-footer
container van.
The
government has allowed Oceanic to resume operations
until end of the year on condition that it remove the
shipwreck and work secure membership to an international
Protection and Indemnity club. |
