Sunday, February 12, 2006
Domestic shipping fights to stay afloat: Marina
CEBU CITY -- The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) will start implementing major projects this year that are programmed until 2010 to keep the domestic shipping industry above water.
The modernization will cover ship financing, shipbuilding and retirement or replacement of old ships, especially the wooden-hulled vessels, said Marina Administrator Vicente Suazo.
Passengers have long complained about old vessels that have been blamed for poor passenger and cargo service standards.
Vessel operators have also to deal with the high cost of fuel and the effects of the expanded value-added tax (VAT).
Domestic sea transport is now covered by the 12 percent expanded VAT.
Captain Jeffrey Solon, president of the Visayan Association of Ferryboat and Coastwise Service Operators (VAFCSO), said they support Suazo's policy of compulsory annual drydocking of vessels to ensure seaworthiness.
As of 2000, the passenger ferries serving domestic routes numbered 283; passenger cargo, 1,297; and general cargo, 1,409.
Suazo also said that Marina will provide more trainings and upgrading of seafarers (officers and ratings) in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), so the Philippines could continue supplying highly qualified seamen to various parts of the world.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 185 has listed the Philippines as the prime supplier of certificated seafarers, Suazo said.
Earlier, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves told Sun.Star Cebu that overseas Filipino workers remitted about US$10.7 billion in 2005, resulting in the increase in international dollar reserves, a strong peso and cuts in interest rates.
For his part, Marina 7 Director Glenn Cabañez said they will continue to strictly implement and monitor compliance of the maritime safety laws, to prevent accidents at sea.
In relation to this is the codification of Marina rules and regulations and ship certificates, and enhancement of existing application systems and information sharing.
This will correct the old system, in which a ship registered with the Marina-Luzon office can be registered again with Marina-Mindanao, using fake documents.
This is the reason the original owners of mv Brighton, a vessel seized by the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu for allegedly carrying P44 million worth of smuggled rice in 2001, cannot be traced anymore.
The Marina is putting in place a domestic shipping service monitoring system, vessel safety inspection system, passenger service rating system and cargo service rating system. (Elias O. Baquero of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(February 12, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
