A LIBERIAN-flagged vessel was apprehended by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Bohol Sea on Saturday.
The BOC said the ship, which was seized on Friday, had been drifting and loitering since the previous week.
It was also bound for the port of Kinuura in Japan, the BOC added.
The BOC added that a team composed of different agencies such as the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, among others, inspected the ship but did not find any illegal shipments.
The BOC also issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) and a Notice of Preliminary Conference Hearing as the ship captain did not issue a notice of arrival.
“The WSD is issued because the captain did not issue a Notice of Arrival when the vessel started drifting to the Bohol Sea, which as I understand from the field report, started last April 22,” BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.
“Under our rules, the ship’s master only has 24 hours after its arrival to file a notice or protest explaining the circumstances of the change in its course,” Rubio added.
Meanwhile, Pepito Agmata, the shipmaster, said in an apology letter that the vessel was advised by its charterer to drift to the Philippine Sea, but failed to notify Philippine authorities.
metrosundaily
