Marina may compel ship liners to pay up

Cmdr. Weniel Azcuna, chief of staff of the Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas District and Vicente Calizar,  DENR Coastal Marine Management Division officer-in-charge. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

The Maritime Industry Authority in Central Visayas (Marina-7) said it can compel the two shipping companies whose vessels collided off Lawis Ledge in Talisay City last year to pay for the damages the accident caused to Cordova town.

Marina Regional Director Nanette Villamor-Dinopol said they can use the findings of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the damage caused by the oil slick that came from the accident as basis to file a damage claim case in court against the two liners.

“We can compel (2GO Shipping and Span Asia Carrier Corp.) if indeed there is damage caused by the oil spill. We have to wait for DENR for the results of their study and then we can use that against them,” she said in a public hearing called by the Cebu Provincial Board yesterday.

Cmdr. Weniel Azcuna, chief of staff of the Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas District and Vicente Calizar, DENR Coastal Marine Management Division officer-in-charge, also appeared before the PB. Both 2Go and Span Asia remained adamant against paying the P126 million demanded by Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy despite the series of meetings called by Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III to settle the issue between the parties.

Slow resolution

The repeated refusal of the shipping companies to acknowledge their obligation raised doubts on whether the ships involved in the accident were covered by a protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance.

Villamor-Dinopol said Marina stopped requiring vessels to have P&I coverage following a memorandum issued years back.

The two vessels were issued a certificate of public convenience before embarking on their trip August last year, she said.

In the same vein, Sitoy said the municipal government cannot wait for the results of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry before any of the two companies step forward and pay the claims.

The mayor also lamented the slow resolution of the inquiry handled by Marina’s main office.

“The lawyers were very evasive in our conference. Their usual excuse is that the other shipping line was negligent. But it’s not a question of who’s at fault. It’s about giving the government resources to repair the damage of the oil spill,” Mayor Sitoy said.