Maritime safety affects economic growth

Barely had the monsoon season started in the Philippines, and a maritime disaster had already been chalked. Early last month, a passenger ferry was reported to have sunk in the early hours, about 20 km from the port of Pio Duran in Albay.

While there were only two people of the 50 passengers were reported dead, it was nevertheless an accident that could have been avoided. There was no adverse weather condition to blame, and only the possible reason that came up was the poor condition of the ferry.

The resulting investigation has not been given much attention in the sensation-seeking local media because of the low number of fatalities, and perhaps will never be worthy of a story when the results come out.

The owner may be penalized for setting sail to substandard passenger ferries that had caused loss of lives and property, but the more important lessons to avoid future incidents will probably never be worded, much less incorporated in maritime rules and regulations.

Again and again

Such is the present fate of the Philippine maritime industry, one that is marked by a lack of concern over lives and property, and even the environment, that are put on risk every time a shipping vessel leaves shore.

We continue to witness overloaded ferries with incomplete passenger lists, unqualified ship captains given the steering wheel, untrained crews in passenger and cargo handling especially during crises, and vessels that can no longer be regarded as seaworthy.

The Philippine record for having the worst maritime disaster that is not war related in world history will be difficult to surpass. The 24-year-old Doña Paz was on its way to Manila from Leyte Island when it collided with an oil tanker loaded with 8,800 barrels of gasoline.

On that night, Dec. 20, 1987, as the spilled gasoline caught fire and blanketed the accident site on Tablas Straight, an estimated 4,340 Filipinos died. The tragedy will live in the annals of history, and all we have done is hang our heads in shame.

Avoidable

Twenty five years after, Filipinos still read about maritime mishaps that are blamed on overloading, pilot errors, and ill-maintained vessels. The irony of all these is the fact that such reasons are avoidable if only government and the private sector would put its heart into ensuring the safety of passengers and cargo.

Ensuring that everyone on board is manifested, and that there are no excess passengers and cargo over the set limits is the easiest problem to solve and the first that should have gone away a long time ago. This is an enforcement issue that both ship owners and government regulators can easily enforce.

Pilot errors remain a challenge. We all know that most of the ship officers manning local vessels are those who have not passed the more stringent standards of overseas manning. But nonetheless, training and retraining of our local officers and crews can be done.

The biggest challenge is ensuring that only sea-worthy vessels are allowed to ply interisland routes. Small ship owners are wont to complain about the high cost of maintenance that cannot be justified by the meager passenger and cargo fares.

World-class safety standards

This is a reality that needs to be addressed by government, something that cannot be solved by simply looking at a balance sheet. This brings to fore the need for the country to come up with a strong program that will encourage a vibrant maritime industry with world-class safety standards.

If we truly want to uplift the lives of Filipinos in the countryside, and subsequently realize true economic growth, government must ensure that affordable and safe mobility remains a key area where state funds will be spent.

If we would like to see something tangible from the investment rating upgrade that the Philippines recently received, then we must focus on bringing growth to the whole country. –Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)