A BUSINESS chamber in Cebu asked the transportation department to lift the “wholesale suspension” of Superferry vessels that have passed seaworthiness tests, a move that will save the local economy from “untold losses.”

In a letter to Department of Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza dated Sept. 8, 2009, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) asked that vessels certified by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) as seaworthy should be allowed to sail again.

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“Business, at this point, is still trying to cope with the inconvenience, disruption and higher shipping costs brought by the suspension of the Sulpicio passenger operations,” the CCCI said in its letter. It referred to the suspension order Marina issued after Sulpicio’s Princess of the Stars sank in June 2008.

“Now, the situation is further compounded by the suspension of the Superferry passenger fleet. The Cebu business sector is anxious.”

Signed by Consul Samuel Chioson, the letter presented recommendations, including the “speedy and impartial investigation of the Superferry 9 incident.”

It also asked for a timeline on the investigation and suspension, “so that companies can adequately plan and identify options for the transport of their goods, materials and personnel.”

Christmas

The letter came two days after the Superferry 9 listed and sank off the Zamboanga peninsula last Sunday, killing nine persons.

All 828 passengers and 123 crew have been accounted for.

The CCCI pointed out it made similar recommendations when Sulpicio’s vessel operations were suspended more than 15 months ago.

Robert Go, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry governor for the Visayas, earlier urged Marina to immediately resolve the suspension order on Aboitiz and Sulpicio Lines, especially that they need more shipping services to move goods in time for the Christmas rush.

Meanwhile, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Maria Elena Bautista said that unlike the case of Sulpicio Lines, the audit and inspection of Superferry ships of the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) will depend on the deficiencies they see in the manual and its track record.

Questions

But Vicente Gambito, spokesman of the Visayas Association of Ferryboat and Coastwise Service Operators (VAFCSO), United Trampers Association of the Philippines (UTAP) and the Roro Association of the Philippines, questioned why only Superferry ships were suspended, while the Cebu Ferries and Supercat vessels were not.

“Because ATS operates all Superferry, Cebu Ferries and Supercat vessels, it is but fair to suspend all of its operations just like what Marina did to other shipping companies,” Gambito said.

Bautista sent a text message from London to clarify that the Cebu Ferries ships are covered by the suspension order.

Jess Supan, vice president for safety and security of ATS, told ABS-CBN the company has stopped selling tickets for the Superferry vessels suspended by Marina.

Marina started the re-inspection of one of their vessels yesterday, but Supan did not say how soon the job will be finished.

“I really hope they will do it expeditiously,” Supan said. “As far as I know, we don’t have a timetable for them on how fast they could re-inspect our vessels.”

Supan said the company is not investigating the sinking of the Superferry 9 and left it all up to the Board of Marine Inquiry, as convened by the Coast Guard.

Cost

Supad added he never heard of calls for the resignation of ATS chairman Enrique “Endika” Aboitiz Jr. from the Marina Board.

For business, the main concern after passenger safety is how the suspension could hurt the economy.

“The diminution of cargo shipping in Cebu, where a large sector of the economy is dependent on shipping, severely affects trade and industry in the locality and the region. This would inevitably result in higher prices, suspension or even stoppage of operations and untold losses to business,” the CCCI said in its letter.

Another ABS-CBN report said that one ticket outlet revealed they lost some P40,000 in sales a day after Marina suspended the operations of ATS vessels.

The ticket outlets earn service charges of P40 per ticket to Mindanao and P75 for tickets to Manila.

Since the suspension of operations, passengers with advance bookings began to demand refunds from ticket outlets.