MANILA, Philippines – The crude oil tanker that on October 2 hit a small Filipino fishing boat is owned by a Chinese-Korean company, Senator Francis Tolentino said Thursday, October 12, after an hours-long probe into the tragic incident.

“Yung revelation lang dito, yung lumabas yung tanong na sino may-ari ng barko, yung SINOKOR. Sinokor is a Chinese-Korean corporation,” said Tolentino in a press interview after a hearing of the Senate’s special committee on maritime and admiralty zones.

(The only revelation here is that the owner of the boat is SINOKOR. SINOKOR is a Chinese-Korean corporation.)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also confirmed the information.

On October 2, the SINOKOR-owned Pacific Anna hit the FFB Dearyn, a small fishing boat that had six Filipino fisherfolk on board. The collision led to the sinking of the Dearyn and the death of three of its crew members, including its captain.

The rest of its eight crew members – who were out fishing when the collision happened – scrambled to rescue their three surviving colleagues and retrieve the remains of those who died. What followed was a harrowing journey from the open sea, some 85 nautical meters off Bajo de Masinloc, to land in Pangasinan.

While SINOKOR touts itself as the “first Korea-China container liner service,” the Pacific Anna is registered in the Marshall Islands, which means it operates under the law of that state.

It was a Filipino national, Leo Bolivar, who represented the Marshall Islands in the Senate probe, as the state’s deputy commissioner for maritime affairs.

Manpower for the Pacific Anna, it turns out, is also sourced partially from the Philippines via Fleet Management Services Philippines, Incorporated.

While the incident has largely been accepted as an accident – by Filipino officials, as well as the fisherfolk who survived the collision, senators insisted compensation should be given to the Dearyn’s crew even before the probe wraps up.

“So on the basis of humanitarian considerations, matulungan yung 3 biyuda, yung 11 survivors para ng sa ganon maibsan yung kanilang nararamdaman ngayon,” said Tolentino, who chairs the newly-formed special committee.

(So on the basis of humanitarian considerations, we want help for the 3 widows, the 11 survivors just to at least ease the pain of their suffering.)

The PCG is still investigating the incident. When it concludes its probe, the PCG will submit the results to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Under international law, culpability for cases of collisions in the high sea are determined by either the flag state of the ship, or the country which it’s registered in or by the nationality of the personalities responsible for the incident – typically, the officers of the ship.

Neither the PCG nor any other official has declared the nationalities of the crew of the Pacific Anna. – Rappler.com