ZAMBALES– Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has detained a foreign vessel registered under a Sierra Leone flag after it was found that it has 21 deficiencies while anchored in the vicinity waters off San Felipe.
According to a PCG report, they received an information on 15 May 2024 regarding the vessel MT Hyperline 988, hoisting the Philippine flag and upon verification, it was found that the automatic identification system (AIS) of the said ship was turned off.
Coast Guard personnel also tried communicating with the vessel’s crew via handheld radio, but received no response, which prompted the PCG team to proceed to the vicinity to conduct vessel inspection.
According to the seven crew (including the ship master), who are all Chinese nationals, their last port of call was in Hong Kong. They departed on 11 May 2024 and arrived in Zambales on 15 May 2024.
They failed to present original and printed versions of relevant documents, including the crew list, passports, and seaman’s books.
The ship master said their intended port of destination was at the Manila Anchorage Area, but due to high anchorage fees, they decided to go to Zambales for a more affordable option.
San Felipe, Zambales has no ports, so the vessel could not pay anchorage fees.
The Coast Guard K9 unit also conducted a paneling inspection with a narcotic detection dog and yielded a negative result.
📸 PCG
Ang Pahayagan 
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