Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Cabaero: Another chapter for Sulpicio By Nini B. Cabaero Beyond 30
SULPICIO Lines Inc. opened another chapter in its operations when it resumed cargo shipping last weekend following the sinking of the mv Princess of the Stars.
It wasn’t the first time Sulpicio vessels were grounded following an accident involving one of its vessels and, weeks later, allowed to resume operations while investigations on the tragedy were ongoing.
Past incidents involving Sulpicio vessels showed that, after every sea tragedy and a few weeks of high-profile investigations, the company’s vessels get to sail again. Until the next accident.
But the lifting of the suspension order on Sulpicio vessels following the mv Princess of the Stars sinking last June 21 only highlights the fact there is still no closure to the case.
Far from having even a semblance of closure, the resumption of operations by the shipping company forces the resurfacing of questions.
Over the past weeks when investigations were conducted on the sinking of the mv Princess of the Stars, the latest sea tragedy to hit the country, several errors in sea safety practices were reported. Have focused changes been made in terms of procedures in clearing vessels and in the delineation of responsibilities? Who has final say now in allowing vessels to sail in bad weather? On the “joke” of a 30-minute pre-departure inspection of vessels, has the checklist been improved and is inspection done only by competent personnel?
What is the status of the investigations by the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) and by the House of Representatives? How long will relatives of those who died in the sinking of the vessel wait for justice?
Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, 2nd district) smells something “fishy” or “rotten” in the delay in the release of the investigation report by the BMI. He said the report should have been released already since the hearings ended about a month ago.
A separate investigation by the House of Representatives cannot proceed without that report, Cuenco said. He expects the BMI report to answer questions on whether the vessel was seaworthy when it set sail at the height of a typhoon and who aside from the captain could be blamed for the accident.
The fear is that delays in resolving the investigation and pinpointing responsibility would work in favor of the shipping company, although Sulpicio Lines has emphasized it would face and not run away from its obligations.
Some business groups welcomed the news on the resumption of Sulpicio operations because a shortage of ships to ferry goods is causing inventory problems for businesses and forcing a rise in prices of basic goods. They said Sulpicio Lines provides 20 percent of cargo transport services and the grounding of vessels is “hurting” Cebu.
It is important that as Sulpicio enters a fresh chapter with the lifting of the suspension order, it must live up to its promise to do its best to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
If inventory problems would “hurt” Cebu, it would hurt more if Filipino lives are lost and families are broken because of greed and incompetence in ensuring safety at sea.
