No solid clues yet on SuperFerry tragedy - PCG

Two weeks after the tragedy, government investigators have yet to find concrete leads on what caused SuperFerry 9 to sink off Zamboanga Peninsula last September 6. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said Sunday the investigation is still ongoing and admitted they have no clues yet on the events that led to the tilting and eventually the sinking of the ship. “Hindi pa tapos ang investigation, ‘di natin alam ang puno’t dulo ng paglubog ng SuperFerry 9 (Up to now the investigation is not over yet. We still do not know what really happened)," Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio. Tamayo also indicated the Coast Guard is recommending a training program for ships crew, but did not elaborate on what should be covered in the refresher course. “Yung recommendation namin retraining program, kahit refresher, upang magpapatuloy ang pag-unlad ng kaalaman sa paglalayag at tungkol na rin sa ibang concern sa shipping industry (We may recommend a retraining or even refresher program. We are also looking into other concerns of the shipping industry)," he said. Nine people died in the incident, while more than 900 passengers and crew members were rescued. The incident prompted authorities to ground 10 ships of the Aboitiz Transport Systems Corp. (ATSC), which owns the SuperFerry fleet. Last Friday, however, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) cleared five ships of the fleet to resume plying their routes. In the meantime, Tamayo said they are looking into reports that the life vests aboard ATSC ships are unsafe, or difficult to open. He said this is part of the audit inspection being conducted by the Marina. On the other hand, Tamayo said the Coast Guard is still looking into claims that cargo loaded on the ship at the "last minute" may have caused the ship to tilt and eventually sink. He said they will verify such claims, which supposedly involved electric generators. “Wala pa nagsabi ng ganoong version (So far we have not come across such information)," he said. Tamayo also reiterated that the chances of having the SuperFerry 9 re-floated are slim, considering that the ship is lying thousands of feet under sea. He said they are still consulting with salvor firms on whether the SuperFerry 9 can still be raised. “Napakalalim ng nilubugan ng barko, almost 5,000 feet (The SuperFerry 9 sank so deep, almost 5,000 feet)," he said. - GMANews.TV