SSEN ‘marked’ boats can

Isolate illegal sea vessels

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol January 6, 2018 (PIA)—Illegal elements and criminals who take to the seas to escape and ply their trade will soon run out of “escape”.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) now implements a security and safety measure that would isolate boats form criminals elements.

Under the directive, any marine vessel both powered by any propulsion system of manual rowing must register under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) regulations on Security, Safety and Environment Numbering (SSEN) system, says Tagbilaran Bohol Coast Guard Commander Captain Edgar Boado.

Under the numbering system, all boats registered under the program would be assigned a specific unique number, regional origin and a number unique to him.

The PCG places these SSEN identification marks on the boat’s prow, for easier identification.

The move would make all boats nationwide registered and tagged, and from this, any boat used illegally can easily be identified to the owners, Captain Boado added speaking at the Kapihan sa PIA.

Coast Guard Bohol believes if implemented, any boat navigating Bohol seas would be bearing the same origins and any stray boat could be identified by its origins.

This way, boats from other areas could easily be tagged and noted for security and safety purposes, and if these do not sport any SSEN, the PCG would impound these boats and release them only after the owners could register these, according to Captain Boado.

In April of last year, three boats boarded by armed members of the Abu Sayyaf made it past the hundreds of fishermen and coast guard patrols to a remote part of Inabanga River.

The PCG said it was hard to identify these because boats then did not have any marks that isolating the terrorists from the legitimate fishers would be tough.

Now, with the marks, even from the distance, the PCG, Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can immediately see and take hold of the boat as it could be used illegally.

When a boat is marked, and registered but is still used in illegal activities, the registered boat owner would be among the case respondents, Capt Boado went on.

Along this, Capt Boado has urged boat owners, be they with engine propulsion systems, sail or paddles, to go to the nearest Coast Guard detachment to be facilitated in with the new maritime vessel policy.

The move could also solve the issue of colorum bancas operating in Panglao and elsewhere in Bohol as well as those who steal travels past Bohol to other inter-island destinations. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)