Beware of colorum vessels – Coast Guard

The Philippine Coast Guard PCG) is reminding passengerswho will travel by sea this Christmas season to avoid ‘colorum’ or unregistered motorboats and vessels offering trips to various destinations.

PCG Commandant Admiral Elson Hermogino on Thursday warned the public about the dangers riding on unregistered vessels.

He stressed that boat owners and operators normally take advantage of the volume of passengers in ports during the holidays, especially in areas not sufficiently served by major shipping lines.

“May nakaambang panganib sa pagsakay sa mga kolorum na motor bangka sa kaligtasan at buhay ng mga pasahero dahil ang mga ito ay hindi rehistrado at walang maipakitang sapat na dokumento at hindi sumusunod sa mga pamantayan na itinakda ng MARINA sa aspetong pangkaligtasan (It’s dangerous to ride on colorum motorboats because these are not registered and have no pertinent documents to travel and do not follow certain safety standards set by MARINA),” Hermogino said.

Most of the colorum vessels, Hermogino pointed out, cannot ensure the safety of passengers due to lack of life vests and other safety equipment and features.

“Ang kaligtasan ng publiko ang pangunahing layunin kaya’t higit na tinututukan at hinuhuli ang mga kolorum na sasakyang pandagat (The safety of the public is our primary concern that is why we strictly monitor and apprehend colorum vessels),” he added.

The Coast Guard also urged the public to report other issues and concerns to maritime authorities.