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Orders from President Marcos himself comply with a report that tracked down how a dredger that originated from China switched ‘identities’ because it sailed from Manila Bay to the Santo Tomas River in Zambales
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, January 6, ordered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to “board all of the dredgers working in Manila Bay as a part of the reclamation challenge and examine their vessel registration and AIS transmission.”
AIS refers to Computerized Identification System, which is used to trace vessel actions.
Marcos’ orders, introduced by Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, who in flip quoted the PCG, follows a report from maritime incursion watchdog SeaLight, about Kang Ling 539, a dredger that was discovered to have used a number of identities — together with the flag it has carried — because it sailed from Zhangzhou, China, to Manila Bay.
In a separate assertion on Wednesday, January 7, PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab stated Kang Ling 539 was beforehand apprehended for “safety-related violations, for which applicable enforcement actions have been undertaken.”
“The PCG has made it clear that ought to detainable violations nonetheless be current, and if the vessel is discovered to have been allowed to sail regardless of such violations, administrative sanctions to all concerned PCG personnel can be imposed,” stated Cayabyab.
Cayabyab stated different dredgers in Manila Bay have been additionally topic to inspections.
In accordance with the SeaLight report, Kang Ling 539 used two identities — typically concurrently and typically alternately, when it sailed from Manila Bay to additional up north because it carried out a dredging operation alongside the Santo Tomas River on January 3, 2026.
On that individual day, the vessel used the identical Kang Ling 539 however concurrently indicated itself as Sierra Leone-flagged, then Philippine-flagged. It shed its Philippine flag, in response to SeaLight, simply because it handed by the Bataan Peninsula earlier than turning again on proper and re-entering Manila Bay.
SeaLight tracked Kang Ling 539’s actions and its shedding and buying of identities by AIS information, data from the Worldwide Maritime Group, and closed monitoring methods that collate data, each open and proprietary, on vessels.
The report put a highlight on what has lengthy been a controversial exercise within the Philippines — reclamation tasks throughout Manila Bay. These tasks have grow to be contentious due to attainable environmental hurt and safety dangers.
In a letter to the PCG that was additionally despatched to SeaLight, Golden Tiger Delivery Companies, Included, which operates Kang Ling 539, insisted that the ship’s importation, change of flag, and identifications have been all above board.
“The vessel has maintained constant traceable data, supported by logs, voyage information, port clearances, and regulatory findings,” the corporate stated.
Golden Tiger additionally stated that they had “nothing to hide” and “brazenly [welcomed] inspections, verifications, and technical critiques” of the vessel.
The corporate’s assertion made no point out of the earlier safety-related violations the PCG had flagged.
Cayabyab stated the PCG investigation was nonetheless ongoing. – Rappler.com
