US tanker canceled request to enter Subic - SBMA

A tanker that was scheduled to transport fuel from the American military base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to a commercial storage facility in the Philippines had withdrawn its application to enter Subic.

This was confirmed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) after Senator Imee Marcos recently asked for an explanation from concerned Philippine agencies about the fuel shipment carried by Yosemite Trader, which allegedly reached the Port of Subic on January 9.

‘’Yosemite Trader, an oil products tanker that is registered in the United States, applied for Entry Clearance at the Seaport Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority on January 2, 2024, through its ship agent, Parsh Marine Philippines, Inc. The vessel carried 5 million gallons of F-76, which is a type of military fuel for ships that are equipped with the latest turbine engines,’’ SBMA said in a statement.

''The cargo was to be transferred from a US military facility at Red Hill, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to the Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corporation, a commercial fuel storage facility in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone,’’ it added.

However, in the morning of the scheduled arrival, ship agent Parsh Marine asked for the cancellation of the vessel’s Entry Clearance because of the absence of a “diplomatic clearance" from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the SBMA said.

‘’It is clear therefore that Yosemite Trader has not entered the waters of Subic Bay, and was not able to discharge its cargo at the storage facility as earlier reported,’’ the agency said.

On Thursday, US Embassy in Manila spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said the transaction was made through proper channels and logistics contracts with Philippine commercial entities.

The Department of National Defense (DND) also confirmed the shipment, describing it as a commercial transaction between the US government and Philippine companies.

Earlier this week, Marcos said data from several international shipping trackers showed that the oil cargo was loaded at Pearl Harbor Yosemite Trader on December 20, 2023, and entered the Philippines on Tuesday.

"The Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) is not a license to leave the Filipino people in the dark. Subic is not an EDCA site, so where in Philippine territory will millions of gallons of oil be stored?" said Marcos, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations.

"This is not just an issue of foreign policy but of Philippine sovereignty, even environmental safety. The government better have a clear explanation for this," she added.

The MDT is a 72-year-old accord between the Philippines and the US.

Under the MDT, the two countries agreed that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on either the Philippines or the US would be dangerous and that they would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with their constitutional processes.

Signed in 2014, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) grants US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities and allows them to build facilities and preposition equipment, aircraft, and vessels. 

Permanent basing is prohibited. —VBL, GMA Integrated News