THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) lifted yesterday the suspension order on two Trans-Asia Shipping vessels.
MV Trans Asia 5 and MV Trans Asia 3 were allowed to operate again.
All vessels of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines were grounded and assessed according to seaworthiness and safety requirements following the sinking of mv Asia Malaysia off Iloilo last Sunday.
Marina 7 legal and public information officer Jose Cabatingan said the inspection team saw minor deficiencies in Trans Asia 3 but the shipping company rectified these.
He said they will continue to inspect and audit all vessels of Trans Asia to comply with the order of the Department of Transportation and Communication to speed up the investigation on the shipping company.
Next
“We are doing this step by step, MV Asia Indonesia will be the next to be completed,” he said.
Other vessels, such as MV Trans Asia 2, which was inspected last Aug. 2 are being fixed to correct deficiencies found by Marina and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
A fire occurred in the cargo holding area of MV Trans Asia 2 when authorities inspected it last Tuesday.
Cabatingan said MV Asia Pacific, Trans-Asia’s lone cargo vessel, and MV Asia China have been scheduled for inspection.
“During the inspection of the company’s vessels, we noticed some deficiencies.
However, we also gave time for the company to rectify these for the next inspection,”
he said.
Hand-in-hand
Commander Rolando Punzalan of the PCG Cebu said their actions will depend on Marina’s orders.
“We are coordinating with them. We work hand-in-hand on this matter,” he said.
He said that among the “minor deficiencies” they noted in Trans-Asia vessels were the labels on rubber boats and life jackets.
Julian Sy Jr., Trans-Asia spokesperson, said the company is still waiting for the complete inspection report of Marina and the PCG.
He said Trans-Asia is willing to cooperate with the inspection team and address deficiencies in their vessels.
