Deadly Philippines Ferry Operator Under Scrutiny as U.S. Divers Assist

The family owned inter-island ferry business is under scrutiny as over 5,700 people have died on its vessels. The number of dead include the latest catastrophe involving the capsized M/V PRINCESS OF THE STARS, where casualties are estimated to be approximately 800 people.

In December 1987, Sulpicio Lines ferry, M/V DONA PAZ, collided with the oil tanker M/T VECTOR in the strait between Mindoro and Marinduque, which killed an estimated 4,400 people. This accident has been called the worst peacetime tragedy at sea in modern times. In October 1988, the Sulpicio Lines vessel, M/V DONA MARILYN, which is the sister ship of the M/V DONA PAZ, sank off Leyte island with some 300 passengers estimated to have died. A decade later, the M/V PRINCESS OF THE ORIENT, another Sulpico Lines ship sank in a storm off of the Batangas coastline as it was about to enter Manila Bay, sending another 200 passengers to their deaths.

Meanwhile, U.S. Navy divers have joined the search for the missing passengers in the capsized ship as bodies continue to wash up on nearby islands and drift out to sea. Divers searching the ship have found only four bodies and 800 people are still missing.

The United States has provided eight divers, five ships, a P3 surveillance plane and two Navy helicopters, as well as a pilotless plane in its assistance efforts to find the missing.

Only four dozen ferry survivors have been found so far. Three more bodies wearing life vests believed to be from the ship washed up Wednesday on Burias island, 55 miles (90 kilometers) away, while ships were dispatched to pick up groups of up to 55 bodies spotted by surveillance aircraft.

Just the tip of the bow of the 23,824-ton Princess of the Stars was jutting from the water. The storm's aftermath kept rescue workers away until calm, sunny conditions. The ferry was lying on unstable coral and villagers have said a deep trench may be nearby, so there are concerns it could slip and plunge deeper.

Relatives also have questioned why the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on a trip to the U.S., ordered a thorough probe and said she hoped to find ways to avoid similar accidents in the future. The vessel's owners, Sulpicio Lines, said the ferry sailed with coast guard approval.


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