Authorities seize vessels for alleged oil smuggling

ACOMBINED team of policemen and soldiers seized two vessels, one of them from Malaysia, in the island province of Tawitawi due to alleged oil smuggling.

The operation was carried out by elements of the 112th Marine Company and policemen at Lihiman Island, Taganak, Turtle Islands, Tawitawi over the weekend.

Marine Brig. Gen. Romeo T. Racadio, commander of the Joint Task Force Tawi-tawi, said the operation was carried out by Marine forces and members of the Taganak Municipal Police Station after they received information that an illegal loading of diesel oil was ongoing in the barangay.

As such, troops of the 112th Marine Company, the PNP Maritime Police and the PNP Turtle Islands were dispatched to the area to validate the information.

While approaching the area, the operating troops sighted two vessels, the Malaysian Marnia Penang and a local vessel named Jaslyn Stacy Legazpi, that were anchored at Lihiman Island.

Racadio said the Marnia Penang sailed from Deojor, Malaysia, with 16 crew members onboard to illegally unload 400,000 liters of diesel to the local vessel, which is from Navotas, Metro Manila.

Jaslyn Stacy Legazpi has 13 crew members onboard. Racadio said that based on their investigation, the two vessels have been anchored in the seawaters of Lihiman Island for three days before they were apprehended.

Rodrigo Sarol, the boat captain and manager of the motor tanker Jaslyn Stacy Legazpi revealed the vessel linked up with the foreign vessel in the area to load diesel, and they are still waiting for another vessel loaded with additional 200,000 liters of diesel to arrive.

The Operating troops escorted the intercepted vessels to Taganak Pier and turned them over to the Philippine Coast Guard in Turtle Islands for proper disposition.