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PPA, DOTr to probe Calapan Port’s ‘missing’ ships

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz

January 5, 2023, 5:43 pm

MANILA – The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is investigating the lack of operational passenger ships in Calapan Port in Oriental Mindoro that resulted in kilometer-long queues and waiting times of up to five hours for passengers on Tuesday.

In a radio interview over DZRH on Thursday, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago said the situation at Calapan Port has normalized since Wednesday and the PPA is coordinating with the DOTr to address the lack of ships.

“The number of daily sea trips there was usually 55. But on January 1, 2, and 3, when there was an influx of passengers going home after the holidays in Calapan, we only had 22 trips,” Santiago said in Filipino.

He said there was an average of 3,500 passengers at the port daily before the holidays.

“That went up by over 1,000 passengers in a single day. So, there was an inversely proportional response of shipping lines to the passenger demand,” he said.

While the PPA has no direct jurisdiction over commercial ship operators, it coordinated with the DOTr and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to bring the situation to the attention of these operators.

He noted that the ongoing construction of the new passenger terminal in Calapan Port did not affect or cause the long queues and is instead meant to increase the port’s capacity from 1,000 to 4,600 passengers.

While ship operations have mostly normalized, he said recent rough sea conditions and inclement weather could result in canceled trips and advised passengers to monitor advisories from the Philippine Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of passengers flocked to the Calapan Port resulting in long queues up to the road outside the PPA compound and a nearby wet market. (PNA)

 

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