Group alerts Marina on China dredgers

Pascua said measures are in place to protect the country from any intrusion of giant dredging vessels that may endanger both local maritime resources and workers.

The Maritime Industry Authority said Wednesday it will look into a group’s complaint that China dredgers operated by Chinese crews are in Manila Bay.

Last week, the Samahan ng Nagkaka-Isang Marinong Pilipino lodged a complaint with the Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Migrant Workers over Chinese dredgers that allegedly reclaimed parts of the West Philippine Sea were being used by a Chinese contractor for a reclamation project in Manila Bay.

SNMP claimed the dredgers that were supposed to be bareboat charters should be temporarily under the Philippine flag.

Local seafarers see the Chinese dredgers and its crew as illegal

It cited a Marina resolution disallowing Chinese vessels and crew from doing business in local waters, unless they secure a special permit from the agency.

The group likewise revealed that one of the contractors in the Manila Bay reclamation project, China Harbor Engineering Corp., is using a 3-in-1 dredger similar to the ones used in reclaiming outcrops in the West Philippine Sea.

The group added that the China First Engineering Company, the main contractor of the Waterfront Reclamation Project, has vessels that were reportedly the subject of an ongoing Philippine Coast Guard investigation for conducting alleged illegal activity in Manila Bay.

Marina National Capital Region Director Engr. Marc Anthony Pascua said Wednesday the agency will look into the matter once it gets a copy of the SNMP’s complaint.

Pascua said measures are in place to protect the country from any intrusion of giant dredging vessels that may endanger both local maritime resources and workers.