Foreign commercial ship in West PH Sea collision operated by Chinese-Korean firm
The PCG shares a photo of the ill-fated FFB Dearyn, the fishing boat which collided with a commercial ship in the West Philippine Sea. Photo from PCG
MANILA, Philippines — The foreign commercial vessel involved in the October 2 fatal collision in the West Philippine Sea is operated by a Chinese-Korean firm, senators learned on Thursday, Oct. 12.
This was revealed when the Senate special committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty zones conducted its own probe into the sea incident that killed three Filipino fishermen and injured another.
“Yung revelation lang dito ‘yung lumabas, ‘yung tanong na sino ang may-ari ng barko? ‘Yung Sinokor. Sinokor is a Chinese-Korean Corporation,” Senator Francis Tolentino told reporters after the hearing.
(The only revelation that came out here is the question of who owns the ship? The Sinokor. Sinokor is a Chinese-Korean Corporation.)
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed this information in a text message to INQUIRER.net.
PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo verified that Sinokor is a joint venture of Chinese-Korean groups.
During the hearing, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III asked about the background of crude oil tanker Pacific Anna that rammed into the Filipino fishing boat FFB Dearyn.
“It’s actually owned by Sinokor,” Captain Leo Bolivar, deputy commissioner for maritime affairs of Republic of the Marshall Islands, answered.
But he later clarified his statement.
“I have a confirmation here that the shipowner is a Compass Shipping 28 Corporation Limited with an address care of Sinokor Maritime Company Limited…in Seoul, Korea,” Bolivar said.
A quick look at Sinokor’s website revealed that the company is a “joint venture between Chinese and Korean groups,” Tolentino said.
“Senator (Robin) Padilla just opened the website, apparently this is a joint venture between Chinese and Korean groups,” he said.
Bolivar, however, hesitated to confirm this information.
“Anyway, the name gives us a hint, Sinokor must be a China-Korea corporation,” Pimentel said. | With a report from John Eric Mendoza
RELATED STORIES
Senators slam floating barriers installed by Chinese vessels in PH sea
PCG condemns China Coast Guard’s water cannon attack in WPS
Oil tanker, under Marshall Islands flag, may be vessel in ‘accidental collision’ – PCG
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
