Sulpicio Express Siete Case Study

On 16 August 2013, St. Thomas Aquinas departed from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, it was heading to the port at Cebu City via the Cebu Strait when it collided with MV Sulpicio Express Siete, a cargo ship was leaving port, approximately 1.2 miles from Talisay, Cebu.

MV St. Thomas Aquinas Captain Reynan Bermejo has stated that Sulpicio Express Siete was first detected on the ferry 's radar 2.6 nautical miles away while traversing the inbound lane near Lauis Ledge off Talisay City at 8:23 pm.

Captain.Bermejo said that he checked the sea to spot the approaching ship but he could only see the city lights.

He then ordered his crew to radio Sulpicio Express Siete, but they got no response.

He also stated that Express Siete was also on the inbound lane, putting both

The Express Siete, according to the report, also had poor data recording, which was not in accordance with rules on safety management systems.

Meanwhile, there needs to be a serious review of the Philippine Coast Guard’s policing efforts at sea and the resources necessary (or lack thereof) for them to do so effectively.

Strict monitoring of the seaworthiness and safety standards of seafaring vessels is paramount. Considering that cities and towns across the country’s more than 7,100 islands are separated mostly by water, traveling by sea is a major means of transportation.

And yet, sea travel does not seem to be as heavily or strictly regulated as land and air travel. While there are traffic enforcers stationed at almost every corner of the roads of major cities, there are no such sea traffic enforcers at major navigational centers like Cebu.

While a control tower directs inbound and outbound planes at airports to avoid collision, seafaring vessels are left to their own devices; which, unmanaged, evidently leads to disastrous