Monday, October 16, 2006 Captain's brod eyed as suspect in oil pilferage By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan
THE alleged oil pilferage believed by some to have caused the sinking of m/t Solar 1 is not yet over.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed Sunday that based on its ongoing investigation, the brother of ship captain Norberto Aguro is being suspected of having engaged in this illegal activity prior to the sinking last August 11.
Alburo's brother reportedly commanded a ship that was pilfering fuel from the ill-fated tanker before it sank, the DOJ added.
Solar I was chartered by Petron Corporation to carry its 2 million liters of bunker fuel from Bataan to Zamboanga del Norte when it met a sea tragedy.
But Petron's Joey Campos, vice president for marketing, earlier dismissed the rumor as "just a mere allegation." He added that pilferage at mid-sea is not possible.
He explained that from the port of origin and to the port of destination, they have their checkers that measure the oil load of their chartered vessels.
"It is impossible to believe that oil pilferage will occur in the middle of the sea," Campos said.
Justice Undersecretary Ernesto Pineda, however, said he has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look for m/v Bonifacio, the vessel that allegedly siphoned oil from the Solar I.
Pineda said they want to identify the owner and crew of the Bonifacio but were having difficulty doing so because the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has no record of the vessel.
The DOJ believes oil pilferage was partly to blame for the Solar I's sinking.
Its findings came after the Japanese salvage ship Shinsei Maru captured on video a triangular hole in the port side of the sunken tanker, scratches on different parts of the vessel, and open valves on some compartments where the transported fuel was stored.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), on the other hand, won't comment on this matter.
Earlier, investigators looked into paihi, a local term for oil smuggling, as among the causes of the sinking. It reportedly uses submersible pumps, the same type used to dewater m/t Solar I, to illegally pilfer bunker fuel oil.
Guimaras Gov. Rahman Nava, on the other hand, said it's the DOJ now that investigates the matter.
"Hope to hear a solution later," Nava said, adding that he has no capability to comment on this matter anymore.
He said his only concern is that it will be over now so they could again start their lives in Guimaras after the disaster.
Evacuees in Guimaras are now in hurry to go back to their respective homes.
They have appealed to Nava to help them go home "because they're already tired of staying in the evacuation centers."
Most of the evacuees are from the coastal barangays of Nueva Valencia town, one of the five localities in Guimaras adversely affected by the oil spill.
The evacuees told Nava that although they were given food, water, among other assistance, these are not enough.
But Nava said he has no choice because they could not support all the needs of the evacuees.
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