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The Maritime Industry Authority will launch a nationwide validation inspection of domestic ships focusing on safety areas
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Random validation inspections will be undertaken to verify continued compliance with safety requirements after the conduct of regular inspections
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Emphasis will be given on critical safety verification areas and priority accorded to domestic shipping companies with a history of multiple accidents or marine incidents
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The inspection also aims to establish a uniform national framework for validation inspection and enforcement actions
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) will launch a nationwide validation inspection of domestic ships with focus on safety areas identified as root causes of maritime accidents.
These random checks come after recent maritime accidents even as annual inspections are conducted, according to MARINA Advisory (MA) No. 2026-12 dated March 9 and published on March 12.
The validation activities are intended to verify continued compliance with safety requirements after the conduct of regular inspections, “with emphasis on critical safety verification areas and priority accorded to domestic shipping companies with a history of multiple accidents or marine incidents.”
It also aims to establish a uniform national framework for validation inspection and enforcement actions.
Up for checks are all Philippine-registered ships engaged in domestic trade, identified and prioritized as follows:
- All ships owned and operated by domestic shipping companies with more than one passenger ships and/or tanker ships involved in serious and/or very serious maritime incidents or accidents within the last three years
- Passenger ships and tankers involved in serious and/or very serious maritime incidents or accidents within the last three years
- Passenger ships 40 years old and above, regardless of accident history
- Passenger ships 30 years old and above, involved in accident history
- Other passenger ships operating in routes with travel time more than eight hours or navigating during the night, regardless of age
All noted deficiencies during the inspection should be rectified within seven calendar days from the receipt of the Notice of Deficiencies from MARINA.
Failure to do so will be grounds for issuance of a show cause order or any other actions in accordance with existing MARINA rules and regulations, including the suspension of appropriate safety certificates, as may be warranted, MA 2026-12 noted.
MARINA last January said the Philippines’ entire domestic seagoing fleet will undergo close inspection following recent accidents, including the January 26 sinking of a roll-on/roll-off ferry in southern Philippines that claimed 65 lives.
READ: MARINA to undertake comprehensive check of all domestic ships
MARINA Enforcement Service director and spokesperson Luisito Delos Santos earlier said the maritime authority recognizes that recent accidents in domestic shipping “point to serious and systemic safety challenges within the country’s maritime transport sector.”
He pointed out that accidents occurring even in fair weather conditions “demonstrate that safety risks are not limited to weather alone, but extend to vessel seaworthiness, maintenance practices, operational discipline, and safety management systems.”
He acknowledged though that conducting the inspection on the country’s entire domestic fleet will be challenging given MARINA’s limited manpower and with around 16,000 vessels, including fishing, cargo, and passengers, and other vessel types.
He also noted that MARINA conducts regular inspections and audits, but that due to its limited manpower, there are small boats in far-flung areas that they cannot reach, hence the continued coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.
The inspection was ordered by Acting Transportation secretary Giovanni Lopez after the sinking of Zamboanga City-based Aleson Shipping Lines’ vessel, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, on January 26.— Roumina Pablo
