Solar I captain not trained for tanker operations--Marina
The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has uncovered violations of maritime regulations in its preliminary investigation into the sinking of M/T Solar I, which caused the massive oil spill now threatening the island province of Guimaras.
It recommended administrative sanctions against ship captain Norberto Aguro and the Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, the owner of Solar I. Also, the Marina suspended the carrier's Certificate of Public Convenience on August 14, 2006, and ordered the grounding of its two remaining vessels, the Sunshine 2 and 3, until this issue is resolved.
During a joint meeting of the Regional and the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Councils yesterday at the Guimaras provincial capitol, Marina lead investigator for Western Visayas Arnie Santiago told the body that ship captain Norberto Aguro was not trained on oil tanker operations.
While he was trained for bulk and chemical carrier operations, still he lacked special training in handling oil tankers, Santiago told reporters. He adds that the Professional Regulatory Commission issues a different license regarding ship captains of oil tankers.
The lack of training contributed to the sinking, and is a possible factor in the oil spill, he told members of the RDCC and the PDCC.
"The captain should have undergone specialized training in handling oil cargo," Santiago explained.
Santiago also wondered why SMDC, the company that owns Solar I, allowed Aguro to captain the ship when he was not qualified.
Aside from the captain's lack of special training, Marina also discovered that the ship's Safety Management Certificate was expired.
The Certificate, Santiago explained, proves that the ship has complied with safety regulations. He stressed though, that the ship was in seaworthy condition.
"It was seaworthy but it had ventilation problems," he said. Showing the ship's blueprint to reporters yesterday, Santiago theorized that the ship might have taken in water through faulty ventilation, thus causing it to list towards starboard, and eventually sink Friday afternoon last week off the coast of Guimaras.
Santiago recommended that Aguro be made to answer why he decided to proceed with the voyage although the ship was already listing 5-6 degrees to the right; and for SMDC on why it allowed an unqualified captain to take command of the vessel.