ACTING Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Tuesday ordered the grounding of the entire passenger fleet of Zamboanga City-based Aleson Shipping Lines as investigators probe the sinking of one of its vessels, M/V Trisha Kirstin 3, off Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan, a day earlier.
The move followed Lopez’s discovery that Aleson had allegedly been involved in 32 maritime incidents over a seven-year period. The January 26 tragedy has claimed at least 18 lives, including a child. Ten others, mostly crew members, remain missing.
Lopez asked the PCG to conduct a 15-day investigation into the incident. He also directed the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the PCG to conduct a maritime safety audit of Aleson and its crew within 10 days, and ordered a similar audit of the country’s entire domestic fleet.
