Philippines announces investigation results into fishing boat crash in East Sea
Philippine authorities have concluded that both a Chinese vessel and a Philippine fishing boat were at fault in a collision in the South China Sea a month ago.
 |
| Fishing boat Gemvir-1 after being brought back to shore on June 14. Photo:Straits Times. |
The Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Administration on July 6 released an investigation report into the collision of the Philippine fishing boat Gemvir-1 at Reed Bank in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago on the night of June 9. The investigation results showed that the Chinese vessel did not take proactive measures to avoid collision before ramming the Philippine fishing boat.
The report also pointed out that the Philippine vessel had shortcomings in not having proper safety measures and carrying more people than the regulations. According to the report, the 22 crew members of the Gemvir-1 had not been properly trained before going out to sea to fish.
Jay Batongbacal, Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the investigation was fair to both sides and based on factual data. Jay said the investigation focused only on maritime safety issues in the accident.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila previously acknowledged that its Yuemaobinyu 42212 ship had rammed the Philippine fishing boat Gemvir-1 carrying 22 crew members on the night of June 9. However, Beijing said that the Yuemaobinyu 42212 accidentally caused the accident when it was surrounded by a group of Philippine ships and did not intentionally abandon the Filipino fishermen at sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang at a press conference on June 20 proposed that Beijing and Manila launch a joint investigation into the ship collision to "exchange evidence and properly handle the issue through friendly consultations."
