SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Wednesday that the foreign commercial vessel that rammed a Filipino fishing boat off the coast of Agno, Pangasinan on October 2, which left three Filipino fishermen dead, appeared to be an oil tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
In an ambush interview on Wednesday (Oct. 4), Zubiri said if proven that the oil tanker was behind the ramming, those on board should face criminal and civil charges for the incident that occured within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“The PCG came out with initial findings that it was an oil tanker registered in the Marshall Islands. A crude tanker vessel should have a radar to detect even small fishing boats. I believe the PCG is in the middle of locating the captain of the oil tanker,” Zubiri said.
“Kailangan talaga natin habulin itong tanker na ito, at mayari, para sa hustisya ng nawalan po ng mahal sa buhay. I hope this will not happen again,” he added.
In a report by the Philippine Coast Guard, six Filipino fishermen were onboard the boat Dearyn while the latter was moored at its payaw located near the Scarborough Shoal when they were rammed by the approaching foreign vessel.
“Due to the adverse weather conditions causing darkness, the crew on board the mother boat failed to detect an unidentified vessel approaching, resulting in a collision that caused the mother boat to capsize. Three casualties, including the boat captain, were reported from the incident,” the initial report read.
“After cross-referencing the fishermen’s account, the date, and the time, we conducted a thorough check on marine traffic. It turns out that Pacific Anna, a crude oil tanker vessel, registered under the flag of Marshall Island, aligns with the details provided by the fishermen,” the report added.
