The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, Admiral Joel S Garcia has ordered the investigation of Panama-flagged cargo vessel “MV Harmony 6” after its captain allegedly declared false information of its port clearance details amid intensified maritime security measures against 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to the initial report, MV Harmony 6 arrived in Changzhou, China on 13 February 2020 and left on 18 February 2020.

Scheduled to have its next port call at the Port of Poro Point in La Union, Philippines, the crew of the vessel allegedly turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) from 19 February 2020 until its arrival to the Philippine waters on 23 February 2020. 

On 23 February 2020, Captain Luu Van Loi of MV Harmony 6, a Vietnamese national, declared that it left China on 10 February 2020, instead of 18 February 2020, in order to fit into the 14-day quarantine period being strictly implemented in all major ports in the country as a security measure against COVID-19.

The 14-day quarantine period dictates that MV Harmony 6 and other vessels that came from any country with reported cases of COVID-19 shall have a 14-day period from its date of departure from China to its arrival to the Philippine waters, before the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) may conduct health inspection among its crew that is needed for the issuance of port clearance.

However, due to the Captain’s misrepresentation of its date of departure from China, the BOQ team boarded the vessel to conduct the health inspection among its 18 Vietnamese and 5 Indian crew in just six days, instead of the required 14-day quarantine period.

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.

Immediately, the vessel was declared under temporary detention at the anchorage area while the investigation about the violations is ongoing.

PCG will coordinate with BOQ to identify possible criminal charges if MV Harmony 6 will be found guilty of mentioned violations.

Rear Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan, Chief of Operations of the PCG, said that the agency continues to exert all possible efforts to uphold maritime safety and maritime security at major ports of entry in the country by ensuring the strict implementation of guidelines and preventive measures against COVID-19.