Boat transporting fuel seized in southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Philippine Navy on Saturday said it seized a vessel carrying 447 drums of smuggled fuel off Indanan town in the southern province of Sulu.

Photos released by the Naval Forces Western Mindanao show the seized vessel ML Fatima Nur. 

 

The Naval Forces Western Mindanao said the boat, ML Anne Nur, manned by nine crewmen, originated from the island town of Sitangkai in the Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi, just 49 nautical miles from Sabah in Malaysia. But photos released by the Navy show the name of the boat as ML Fatima Nur.

 

“The Navy elements successfully intercepted ML Anne Nur within the vicinity of the seawaters of Tulian Island, Indanan, Sulu, with nine crews onboard. Subsequently, the operating troops conducted a visit, board search, and seizure operation wherein they discovered undocumented 404 drums of XCS and 43 drums of automotive diesel oil. After the initial investigation, it was reported that the watercraft was bound for Jolo Pier originating from Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi,” the Naval Forces Western Mindanao said.

 

XCS refers to a high-quality premium motor gasoline blended with 10% bioethanol, a natural and renewable fuel that burns cleaner and has a higher octane compared to gasoline. It is also being sold by Petron Corporation, the largest oil refining and marketing company in the Philippines, supplying more than a third of the country's oil requirements. 

 

The Naval Forces Western Mindanao said the seized vessel and its crew members were escorted to AMR Fishing Port in Zamboanga City for a joint inspection and inventory with the Bureau of Customs. It said the fuel was worth nearly P10 million.

 

“The apprehension and seizure of the undocumented items at the Sulu sea manifest the intensified maritime operation of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao to combat illicit trade in the sea waters of Western Mindanao,” it said without naming the owner of the contraband.

 

Smuggling is rampant in the southern Philippines where unscrupulous traders continue their illegal trade resulting in losses of billions of pesos in revenues. Many of the contraband - from fuels to cigarettes - find their ways to different buyers in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)