The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has ordered the investigation of Panama-flagged cargo vessel ‘MV Harmony 6’, after its captain allegedly declared false information of its port clearance details amid intensified maritime security measures against the coronavirus.
MV Harmony 6 arrived in Changzhou, China on 13 February 2020 and left on 18 February 2020.
Scheduled to have its next port call at the Port of Poro Point in La Union, Philippines, the crew of the ship allegedly turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) from 19 February 2020, until its arrival to the Philippine waters on 23 February 2020.
On 23 February 2020, the Captain of the ship, declared that it left China on 10 February 2020, instead of 18 February 2020, in order to fit into the 14-day quarantine period being strictly applied in all major ports in the country as a security measure against the coronavirus.
According to the 14-day quarantine period, MV Harmony 6 along with other vessels that came from any country with reported cases of coronavirus must have a 14-day period from its date of departure from China to its arrival to the Philippine waters, before the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) may carry out health inspection among its crew that is needed for the issuance of port clearance.
However, because of the Captain’s misrepresentation of its date of departure from China, the BOQ team boarded the vessel to perform the health inspection among its 18 Vietnamese and 5 Indian crew in just six days, instead of the required 14-day quarantine period.
PCG alerted the port state control group in La Union about the alleged misrepresentation and the turning off of the ship’s AIS on 24 February 2020, few hours after the BOQ conducted the health inspection of its crew. As a result, the vessel was declared under temporary detention at the anchorage area, while the investigation about the violations is ongoing.
PCG will coordinate with BOQ to identify possible criminal charges if MV Harmony 6 will be found guilty of mentioned violations.
Currently, Philippines implement the following measures against the coronavirus:
- Shore pass/ Family visitation is temporary not allowed for those vessels which came from China/affected countries (those below 14 days from their departure to an affected port) in all ports as reflected in their port of call and to limit unnecessary contact with port operators.
- All cruise ships with passengers, regardless of nationality, who, within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, has been to China and its SARs are not allowed to dock at any Philippine Port.
- Temporarily banning the entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of Permanent Resident Visa issued by the Philippine government, directly coming from China and its Special administrative regions.
- Temporarily banning the entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of Permanent Resident Visa issued by the Philippine government, who within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, has been to China and its Special Administrative Regions.
- Temporary ban on Filippinos from travel to China and its Special Administrative Regions.
- No shore passes and disembarkation clearance shall be granted to any crew or passenger onboard a vessel, regardless of nationality, who within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines has been to China and its SARs.
