Philippines Issues No-Sail Order to Ferry Operator After Fatal Sinking
The Philippine Coast Guard has issued a no-sail order to the entire fleet of the operator of the Trisha Kerstin 3, the ferry that went down off Zamboanga last weekend.
The ferry Trisha Kerstin 3 departed Zamboanga City on Sunday night, headed for Jolo, Sulu. At about 0150 hours on Monday morning, the vessel capsized and went down off Baluk-Baluk Island. The PCG responded with the cutter BRP Tubbataha, joined by local government vessels and good Samaritans. 317 passengers and crewmembers were rescued, and 18 bodies were recovered, including the remains of one infant. After a minor downward revision of the passenger manifest, authorities believe that 10 people remain missing.
The PCG plans to use dive teams to locate and search the wreck. An oil sheen has been spotted on the surface, a clue to the ship's location on the bottom. Divers will be backed up by a small ROV for searching hazardous compartments.
As the search continues, Acting Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez has ordered all passenger vessels belonging to operator Aleson Shipping Lines to remain in port for a 10-day safety audit. The results, he said, will determine whether Aleson is allowed to continue operating. Alternative arrangements for transport capacity are being set up to ensure that passengers are still served.
According to Lopez, Aleson vessels have had more than 30 safety incidents over the span of the last seven years, and the Philippine government wants to prevent a recurrence of the Trisha Kerstin tragedy.
“This is not just about going after whoever is responsible. [What’s more important is] how to move forward, how to institutionalize policies [so that similar incidents do not happen again],” Lopez said at a hearing in Zamboanga, per government-owned outlet PNA.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
In 2023, a fire aboard the Aleson-owned passenger-freighter Lady Mary Joy 3 killed 32 people and left 19 missing. The casualty occurred in approximately the same region near Baluk-Baluk Island.
The ferry that served the route before Lady Mary Joy 3, the Danica Joy, capsized in 2016 at Zamboanga due to a cargo loading error; no personnel were injured in the incident.