PCG investigating vessel for allegedly changing arrival date from China

February 28, 2020

The Philippine Coast Guard ( PCG) is investigating  “MV Harmony 6”, a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, for alleged misrepresentation of its departure from China and for turning off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) while on its way to Philippines.

Commodore Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, said Admiral Joel Garcia has ordered the investigation "after its captain allegedly declared false information of its port clearance details amid intensified maritime security measures against 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)."

"According to the initial report, MV Harmony 6 arrived in Changzhou, China on 13 February 2020 and left on 18 February 2020," he said.

Scheduled to have its next port call at the Port of Poro Point in La Union, Philippines, the crew of the vessel allegedly turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) from February 19, 2020 until its arrival to the Philippine waters on February 23 2020, Balilo added. 

Balilo said when the vessel arrived in La Union on February 23, Captain Luu Van Loi of MV Harmony 6, a Vietnamese national declared the vessel left China on February 10, 2020, instead of February 18, 2020.

He said the alleged misrepresentation was made "in order to fit into the 14-day quarantine period being strictly implemented in all major ports in the country as a security measure against COVID-19."

"The 14-day quarantine period dictates that MV Harmony 6 and other vessels that came from any country with reported cases of COVID-19 shall have a 14-day period from its date of departure from China to its arrival to the Philippine waters, before the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) may conduct health inspection among its crew that is needed for the issuance of port clearance," he said.

But due to the captain’s misrepresentation of its date of departure from China, the BOQ team boarded the vessel to conduct the health inspection among its 18 Vietnamese and 5 Indian crew in just six days, instead of the required 14-day quarantine period" Balilo added. 

Balilo said through its surveillance, "the PCG Command Center with assistance from the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC), was able to alert the port state control group in La Union about the alleged misrepresentation and the turning off of the ship’s AIS on February 24, 2020, few hours after the BOQ conducted the health inspection of its crew."

Balilo said the vessel is under temporary detention at the anchorage area in Poro Point, La Union while there is an investigation about its alleged violations.

"PCG will coordinate with BOQ to identify possible criminal charges if MV Harmony 6 will be found guilty of mentioned violations," he said.

Rear Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, chief of operations of the PCG, said the agency continues to exert all possible efforts to uphold maritime safety and maritime security at major ports of entry in the country by ensuring the strict implementation of guidelines and preventive measures against COVID-19, Balilo added. Robina Asido/DMS