The barge whose fumes killed three persons Tuesday night in Batangas was operating illegally and had earlier sunk in Lubang, according to initial findings of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

Marina Administrator Ma. Elena Bautista said Friday the 968-ton barge Kota Kinabalu had fake Marina documents such as certificate of vessel registry and ship safety certificates.

“All its Marina documents are spurious. The barge is now in police custody,” Bautista told the Manila Bulletin.

Marina said its initial investigation showed that the barge earlier sunk off the waters of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro.

“Lumubog yan sa Lubang then nag-salvage sila para ipalutang. Hinahanap daw yan ng salvor kasi nawala. Ngayon nasa Batangas pala. Inaalam namin kung sino ang nagdala sa Batangas. Initial findings palang ito,” Bautista said.

The Marina head said the owner of the barge, reportedly identified as a certain Nilo Bantugon, is liable for faking Marina documents but declined to list the charges they would file against him.

“The investigation has to be completed first,” she said.

The chemical leak at the Batangas port killed three workers and forced 2,000 residents to evacuate.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has ordered the formation of a marine board to investigate the gas leak that spouted out from a barge along the shoreline of Bauan in Batangas.

PCG Commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo directed yesterday the officials from the PCG-Southern Tagalog District to form a Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) to clarify the cause of the poisonous gas leak.

“I’ve asked the officials in the PCG-Southern Tagalog District to form a marine inquiry to investigate the said gas leak as part of our duty on marine environment,” Tamayo said.

The SBMI is expected to be headed by Capt. Lino Payton, the Deputy Commander of the district, according to Tamayo. Commodore Cecil Chen, the District Commander, is not available due to the ongoing SBMI of M/V Baleno-9 in Manila.

According to the initial findings made by the PCG-Marine Environmental Protection Command based on the report made by their Hazardous Materials Unit, it appeared that traces of carbon monoxide gases were detected in the area.

PCG Spokesman Lt. Cdr. Armand Balilo said investigators are looking into the possibility that the lack of proper ventilation in the cargo hold portion of the vessel was partly to blame for the tragedy.

“The joint investigation made by the Coast Guard and other government agencies will look into the possibility that the cargo hold portion didn’t had enough ventilation or exhaust system,” Balilo said.

He said the owner of the vessel should have ensured such ventilation since the workers inside use different chemicals such as paints and acetylene. “Even just a little bit of ignition from an acetylene cutter can really create a dangerous scenario especially if there is no proper ventilation,” he said.