Human Factor is Key to Safety
Parliament's Temporary Committee on Safety at Sea was told that the EU's response to recent maritime disasters had missed the key point - the human factor. Eduardo Chagas, of the Maritime Transport Section of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), explained that the prime causes of tanker casualties were not structural but human. Grounding and collisions accounted for almost 50% of incidents, whereas only around 11% were related to hull failure. According to Chagas, human conditions in the maritime sector should be taken more seriously, especially in EU legislation. Flags of convenience and false certificates for merchant navy officers were the issues that most needed to be tackled.
Tanker Crewmembers Still Missing
According to the Philippines-based Inquirer, six crewmembers of a tanker that caught fire last Friday have yet to be found as of Sunday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. The motor tanker Tambora has also yet to be retrieved after being spotted off Limay, Bataan from the air by a Coast Guard helicopter crew on Friday afternoon, according to a Coast Guard report. The missing crewmembers were identified as Paquito Abon, Joe Familiara, Ferdie Manjares, Fernando Gonzalez, Alberto Monsall and Sixto Saistres. The Tambora was reported to have caught fire on Dec. 23 en route to Lubang from Manila. A Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted the vessel drifting off Limay, Bataan later that day.