Foreign vessel found at protected area came for dredging mission

A foreign vessel found at the protected marine area in Lobo, Batangas over the weekend reportedly came for a dredging mission at the Lobo River, the Philippine Coast Guard said Tuesday.

According to Coast Guard, MV Emerald was contracted by the local government unit of Lobo to do dredging and desilting activities in the river.

The vessel which is currently anchored at the mouth of Lobo, originated from Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It has Indonesians and Chinese crew onboard.

The Coast Guard said the vessel had an approved importation clearance from Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

“Yung report sa amin wala pa namang confirmed dredging activities. Medyo malapit siya shoreline kaya pinalayo namin siya last week (According to the reports coming in, there have yet to be any confirmed dredging activity. It was just close to the shoreline so we instructed them to keep away),” Captain Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesperson, said.

“Prior sa Lobo, nasa Batangas siya from Singapore (Prior to arriving at Lobo in Batangas, it came from Singapore),” Balilo added

It is intended to do the dredging and desilting of Lobo River and estuaries nearby and is included in a contract between the local government of Lobo and Seagate Engineering and Buildsystems, a Philippine registered company owned by Engineer Leo Campos.

Appropriate documentation was already forwarded by MARINA for the issuance of special permit to use the vessel for the dredging mission.

Furthermore, corresponding environmental compliance certificates (ECC) were already issued by the Department of Environment and National Resources which cover a total of 6.5-kilometer stretch of Lobo River basin periphery.

This include the River Estuary traversing foreshore areas of Barangay Fabrica and Barangay Lagadlarin; River Basin periphery of Barangay Lagadlarin and Barangay Fabrica; and Barangays Olo-olo, Poblacion, Tayuman, and Mabilog na Bundok.

Meanwhile, authorities had boarded and inspected the dredging vessel.

Police Captain Rommel Alcantara, chief of police of Lobo Municipal Police Station, said they accompanied the Maritime Group and Coast Guard personnel in inspecting the vessel on Friday afternoon.

“The inspection was done because the barangay officials reported that the vessel was dredging sand at the Protected Marine Area of Lobo,” Alcantara told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.

The Emerald Dredging vessel has nine crewmen on board and all of them have legal documents, according to Alcantara.

He identified the crewmen as Li Yongping, the vessel captain; Wang Lei, chief officer; Zhao Zhaoyin, 2nd officer; Du Zhengxu, chief engineer; Cheng Jiaxi, 2nd engineer; Cai Yueliang, 3rd engineer; Zhao Xiang, oiler; Tang Shilin; Du Qincheng; Li Long; Li Yongjun; and Chen Niudi, the cook.

“All of them have passport, visa and seaman book. The inspection resulted negative of any infraction,” said Alcantara.

Alcantara said that the vessel was not engaged in any dredging activity as revealed by the inspection.

“There was no sand inside the vessel, and it was found out that there was no violation,” he said.

Asked why the vessel was there, Alcantara said the vessel captain said it was coordinates given by the Coast Guard to them.

The vessel appeared to have tried to dock at the Batangas City Port and according to Alcantara, the vessel captain said they were asked to leave and given the coordinates to where they should temporary dock.

The inspection, according to the official, started at 5 p.m. on Friday and ended some 30 minutes later.