Report: Marina grounds ship that stalled off Negros

After receiving complaints from boat passengers, maritime authorities grounded a commercial ship after it got stranded off Negros Oriental last weekend. On Tuesday, radio dzXL quoted the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) in Central Visayas as saying that the suspension on MV Georich will stay while the agency inspects the vessel for sea worthiness. The report said Marina Central Visayas regional director Glenn Cabañez overturned a recommendation by the Marina's Dumaguete City office to allow MV Georich to continue operating. Cabañez based his decision on protests and testimonies by passengers who were on the ship when it was stranded. MV Georich was stranded off Negros Oriental for several hours last Saturday, and had to be towed to Dumaguete Port. Meanwhile, the series of sea tragedies and several reports of stalled ships during the Yuletide season had prompted Malacañang to order safety audit for passenger vessels. Dozens were either killed or missing in the sinking of M/V Catalyn B off Cavite last December 24, and M/V Baleno 9 off Batangas last December 26. Aside from the investigations the Marina has been conducting of the sea accidents, the Senate had also initiated its own probe. Recent history of RP marine accidents In 2008, Marina recorded a total of 426 sea craft which figured in accidents, resulting in 835 persons dead and 643 missing. This year, 69 sea accidents have been recorded to date. The worst marine tragedy in recent Philippine history is the sinking of M/V Doña Paz in 1987, with the official death tool at 1,856 people, although news reports recorded as many as 4,000 killed. [See: Major marine mishaps in the Philippines] A GMA News Research report in 2008 also showed that the three most accident-prone areas in Philippine seas are the Manila Bay, Tablas Strait, and Visayan Sea. [See: "Accident-prone" areas at sea identified] Also in 2008, a look at the PCG’s capacity to man the country’s 36,289-kilometer coastline showed that 40 percent of the agency’s 59 vessels and five aircraft are either “not ready for sea" or grounded, with communication among units still limited to texting via cellular phones. - LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV