(Eagle News)–The Philippine Coast Guard has placed a cargo ship from China under temporary detention after it supposedly violated maritime security measures in place against the novel coronavirus.
In a statement, the PCG said the detention of MV Harmony 6 was pending a probe its captain, Luu Van Loi, told Philippine authorities that the ship left Changzhou, China on February 10 instead of February 18 “in order to fit into the 14-day quarantine period.”
Under the measures, any vessel from virus-hit areas should undergo a 14-day quarantine before members of the Philippines’ Bureau of Quarantine can board it and check their health.
An initial report said the crew of the vessel– composed of 18 Vietnamese and five Indian crewmen–also turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) from February 19 until its arrival to the Philippine waters on February 23.
“Through proactive 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 24 February 2020, few hours after the BOQ conducted the health inspection of its crew,” the PCG said.
The PCG said it will coordinate with the BOQ to identify possible criminal charges.
