(Update 2) BMI recommends suspension of Sulpicio Lines over ‘Princess’ tragedy

MANILA, Philippines - The Board of Marine Inquiry on Tuesday recommended the indefinite suspension of Sulpicio Lines Inc. for its failure to exercise due diligence that resulted to the capsizing of one of its vessels, the MV Princess of the Stars, off Romblon province last June 21. "The carrier failed to be extra diligent in transporting its passengers safely to its destination," Philippine Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said in affirming the BMI findings. Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Senior Grade Armand Balilo, who read Tamayo's decision, said the ship captain - Florencio Marimon - was found to have been "negligent" in performing his duty. "The master failed to monitor the movement of his vessel relative to the movement of the typhoon," Balilo said. A separate report from radio dzBB quoted the BMI as saying Marimon committed an “error in judgment” when he decided to pursue sailing on rough seas. Among the shortcomings of the ship’s captain, the BMI noted, were his failure to monitor the weather condition at that time, and his delayed order for the passengers to abandon the ship. As for Sulpicio Lines, the BMI said the shipping company violated the provisions of the Certificate of Public Convenience, which requires vessels to carry necessary documents whenever they set sail. The Marine body also said Sulpicio Lines failed to implement the Safety Quality Manual System. The BMI also stressed that their investigation was only limited on the “cause of accident” during a sea tragedy, and it cannot conclude on the possible liabilities of the Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), and the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). The report added that the BMI gave Sulpicio Lines 30 days to appeal the body’s decision. The ill-fated vessel left Manila Friday night at the height of typhoon "Frank." It slammed into the wrath of "Frank" in the vicinity of Sibuyan Island while on its way to Cebu in the morning of June 21. At the time of the incident, Princess was carrying more than 800 passengers and crew. Sulpicio Lines said 32 survived the tragedy while 312 bodies were recovered so far. Retrieval operations were halted following the discovery of the endosulfan cargo. - with Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV