The call to phase out aging ships from sea transport operations drew support Monday from the House of Representatives with an official of the House Committee on Transportation calling on the Philippine Coast Guard to strictly monitor seaworthiness of vessels.

Zamboanga Rep. Antonio Cerilles, House transportation committee vice chairman, expressed support for phasing out aging vessels to ensure safety standards are complied with and to prevent maritime tragedies.

Cerilles said the age of a vessel should be counted from the time it was constructed and not from the time it was bought.

“This will accurately determine the sea-worthiness of a vessel,” he said.

Cerilles said the number of times a vessel undergoes repair or overhaul is not a guarantee of an improved performance of an aging vessel.

“Its long exposure to the sea will eventually take its toll on the vessel. Thus, it is important to determine the actual age of a vessel to check its current status. Floating coffins should be phased out,” he said.

Cerilles called on the Philippine Coast Guard to perform its mandated task to strictly monitor vessels as far as sea-worthiness is concerned.

“The PCG should not allow vessels that are not designed for open sea to ply the open sea. It should also monitor aging vessels which are the ones usually prone to accidents,” he said.

Earlier, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) deputy administrator for operations Primo Rivera said the two vessels involved in the latest sea tragedies were old. Baleno 9 is already 25 years old while the M/V Catalyn B is more than 20 years old, he said.

Rivera said that 142 units of roll-on and roll-off (ro-ro) ships plying local waters were below 500 gross tons while 37 were above 500 gross tons. All of them, however, are already considered aging ships, Rivera said.

Department of Transportation and Communications Undersecretary for Maritime Sector Thompson Lantion acknowledged that old vessels were a problem.  Within the three-year period, he said they have to phase out the 34-year-old ships.

Authorities consider a ship aging if it is already 28 to 34 years old. Reports said many of the country’s shipping lines buy second-hand ships from neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam while some firms procure 10-year-old ship from Japan.