Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 5) — The Marshall Islands — believed to be the flag state of the ship that crashed into a Philippine fishing boat — is obligated to hold the vessel liable over the incident that killed three fishermen, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
“Kung saan siya nakarehistro [Where the vessel is registered], which is the Marshall Islands, obligation ng [it is the obligation of the] flag state administration to hold the ship owner accountable,” Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a media briefing Thursday.
The PCG said the government of the Marshall Islands has already acknowledged receiving the letter it sent regarding the incident that occurred on Oct. 2. The Philippines has yet to receive a formal response.
Earlier that day, PCG Commander Admiral Artemio Abu wrote the island country to request for its cooperation in probing the oil tanker that hit the fishing boat “Dearyn” northwest off Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea. Three of the Filipino crew members were killed in the tragedy, while 11 survived.
The letter to the Marshall Islands states that “after cross-referencing the fishermen’s account and thorough check on marine traffic,” Philippine authorities identified the foreign vessel as “MV Pacific Anna […] an oil tanker sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands.”
“We kindly request your immediate cooperation and exercise your authority being the flag state administrator of the vessel and conduct a fair and honest investigation,” Abu said in the letter which was shown to the media. “It is imperative that we ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The coast guard has also written to the port state of control in Singapore since the vessel was heading there from South Korea.
Asked about compensation for victims, the PCG chief said this will be determined after the probe.
“Gaya nung mga barko na na-involve sa any accident, meron naman ‘yang insurance [Like other ships involved in any accident, there is insurance],” Abu said. “So, that will come after the determination, after the completion of the investigation, and of course the due process that we will observe.”
The PCG added it is working towards the immediate completion of its maritime casualty investigation report, which it will submit to the Department of Foreign Affairs for appropriate diplomatic action.
