PPA: Grounded vessels unregistered, had no records

MANILA, Philippines —  Unlike motor tanker Terra Nova, MT Jason Bradley and motor vessel (MV) Mirola 1 – which all sank or ran aground in Bataan within a week – had no transaction or clearance records from concerned government agencies, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said.

Using the vessel tracking and monitoring system (VTMS) which all ships must comply with, the agency did not receive any signal from Mirola 1, or even manual submissions from the ship management to ports in Bataan, according to PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago.

“For the Mirola 1, no signal received. As far as PPA is concerned, it is unknown, non-existent on PPA records,” he said over Radyo5 92.3 yesterday.

“Even at the level of PPA port management office in Bataan, even manual registration or submission they did not have it,” he added.

In an update on Aug. 1, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) started efforts to collect oil from Mirola 1 off the waters of Sitio Quiapo in Barangay Biaan, Mariveles, Bataan.

Using a dipper or tabo, PCG personnel scooped and transferred to drums the water mixed with fuel from a submerged part of the vessel, according to photos and videos shared by the PCG. The agency noted the oil collected by personnel was “sludge oil, a mix of used oil from machineries, engine/motor oil, and diesel oil.”

According to PCG’s Bataan station head Lt. Commander Michael John Encina, the fuel spilled from a drum in the submerged cargo hold of Mirola 1, which ran aground on the shores of Mariveles last July 30.

According to a report by The STAR entitled “18 ship crew members nabbed for fuel theft” on Jan. 31, 2023, the PCG held 18 sailors from MV Mirola 1 for pilfering fuel. They were caught transferring the fuel to three boats off the waters of Navotas.

As for Jason Bradley, which capsized in the waters of Mariveles last July 27, Santiago said its last record with the PPA was in November 2022 at a private port in Navotas.

Asked if Jason Bradley also carried the name Dorothy 1, Santiago said the PCG is the one to answer.

The PCG put oil spill booms and surrounded the area where Jason Bradley, which reportedly carried 5,500 liters of diesel, sank, according to an update from