Marina is at sea about status of operating domestic vessels: COA

Marina is at sea about status of operating domestic vessels: COA
Peter Tabingo - September 12, 2022 https://malaya.com.ph/news_news/marina-is-at-sea-about-status-of-operati...

ASK the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) about the gross tonnage of registered domestic vessels or the dead-weight tons of the local merchant shipping and the best answer you can expect is a maybe.

This is because the agency tasked to develop and regulate the country’s maritime industry does not have a reliable inventory of all domestic vessels afloat, no reference whether the correct Annual Tonnage Fees (ATF) are being collected, no idea which ships are still operational, or which companies or individuals own what watercraft.

“Management admitted that it has no updated masterlist of registered domestic vessels especially those pertaining to prior years. Inquiry with management also revealed that there were vessels which are already non-operational but (were) still included in the masterlist maintained by Marina,” the Commission on Audit said in its 2021 report released last July 7.

The good news: Marina has pushed for the implementation of the Integrated Domestic Shipping Information System, which is expected to provide real time updates online on the inventory of domestic shipping vessels as early as 2023.

This was undertaken under the leadership of Marina administrator Vice Adm (ret.) Robert Empedrad who, however, stepped down from the post in July after the change in administration.

While the Marina reported a 20.47 percent increase in the number of operating merchant ships to 2,907 as of yearend 2021 compared to 2,413 the year before, there was no figures on ships that have been beached or no longer afloat.

“Inquiry with management also revealed that there were vessels which are already non-operational but still included in the masterlist. Consequently, the actual records of existing and operational vessels are not updated and the personal identity of the operators are not captured,” the audit team said.

Marina management said it is drafting a circular that is aimed at simplifying policies on delisting/deletion of domestic vessels.

Under the present system, a shipowner is required to apply and pay a fee for deletion from the registry.

Government auditors said accurate assessment and collection of annual tonnage fees is impossible without an updated masterlist.

Annual tonnage fee refers to annual payment calculated on the gross tonnage of Philippine-registered ships in the domestic trade, excluding fishing vessels.

“Verification of the propriety and correctness of the amounts collected could not be done due to lack of records such as schedules of receivables and Masterlist of Registered Domestic Vessels detailing the names of operators or companies, name of registered vessels and the corresponding gross tonnage,” the COA said.