PCG insists on salvaging sunken 2GO ship
AUTHORITIES are firm on their stand to compel the owner of the ill-fated MV St Thomas Aquinas to salvage the wreck from the seabed of Lauis Ledge.
A Philippine Coast Guard official earlier reiterated their warning that 2GO Travel which owns the sunken ship could be held liable for any incident on the vital sea lane.
The St Thomas Aquinas sank after colliding with the MV Sulpicio Express Siete in August last year.
Last week, the 2Go Travel and the London Offshore Consultant (LOC) Pte submitted a study which they used as basis to justify their argument on why there is no need to salvage the vessel.
LOC was hired by the insurer of 2Go Shipping as a consultant in salvaging the ship.
Cmdr. Weniel Azcuna, chief of staff of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Central Visayas district, told Cebu Daily News that they forwarded the position paper of 2GO Travel to the PCG headquarters in Manila last week.
Azcuna said as long as their headquarters does not say otherwise, the PCG’s stand on the issue stays. “We also required them to submit documents and the inventory of the materials for us to know what are still left inside the vessel,” Azcuna said.
He said debris from the vessel could float or be cut loose and may cause navigational risk at the vicinity of Lauis Ledge.
“We really don’t know what are the intact debris left inside the vessel,” Azcuna added.
2GO insists the sunken vessel is not a threat. They said salvaging the wreck would mean closing the whole southern portion of the channel.
Lito Salvio, vice president of 2GO Travel, said in a text message that “The technical experts from a reputable international engineering firm engaged by 2GO had met and discussed this matter thoroughly with PCG.”
Meanwhile, Radgel Sumagang, president of Nagkahiusang Mananagat sa Bangbang (Namasba), urged 2GO to pay them P200,000 for the oil spill damage.
Sumagang said that after the oil spill, people are still hesitant to buy fish from them.
“Maayo unta ug dili sila makalimot namo kay dako kayo ug epekto sa panginabuhi,” he added. (I hope they won’t forget this inconvenience they have caused us.)
The fishermen resumed fishing in November, two months after the oil spill. They sold their catch at cheap prices from P150 per kilo to P60 per kilo. “Mura nalang me ug nag hatag ug isda ani mura name ug wala nanginabuhi,” he added. (It’s like were just giving away our goods instead of earning from them.)
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