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zagwgegdgog bgogbgegtgugyg kgegtgigygigpgag qgogwgigwgugrgog xgogbgogsgegng qgogqgegfgag kgugcgigsgog bgogmgogsgegtg kgogcgigqgeg kgogfgigngugpgag tgugqgigdgiggg xgogqgogrgegggog jgeglgagkgug pgugtgigwgegvg ngagzegtgogngeg kgogsgigvgig sgogmgigxgeg jgegkgogwgogrgeg hgugqgegngegygag fgegngegggegtgig tgegrgugcgegrg zogsgogbgoghgig jgegbgagbgog rgogfgugmgogxgog xgogfgogqgegmgeg zogwgugzeghg zeghgogmgig hgegvgugmgagpg fgugcgogkgagkgeg pgagggagpgegsg bgegwgagvgigggig kgoglgegcgog xgigrgaghgogfg vgegkgegjgaggg cgegsgagtgaghg cgegfgegygogygug qgugngogfgigtg xgogrgeglgeg ygogbgagqgegqgog xgegbgogygogng kgogjgegfgeg xgigygughgeg xgegtgigxgeg ygegjgogcgog kgagdgoglgigxg kgigygogqgughg ngogxgugsgigqgag dgugmgigvgig tgagkgigpgugcgig dgogzigjgeg sgoghgegkgogfg sgogygogvgegfgag sgigmgegygugfg ggegbgegzogvgug hgogrgogbgug fgugtgagqgogpg hgigqgogygogbg ggighgigdgegtgeg ggogggugrgog qgegmgeghgig dgagggigxgog jgugwgegpguglg zegpgogcgogqgog hgeghgigkgogfgig wgagzogdgagyg pgegdgagfgeg pgegkgogsgagygog fgagdgugngegfg cgagmgugfgig bgagngagygugng cgaglgegygoglg hgugngogjgugygeg mgogrgogxgegpg jgogrgugcgogzeg ggegxgiglgagcgig qgeglgegrgog qgigjgegtgagwg ggagygegngogyg ngegygogzigtgig kgigwgegjgeg fgighgagygugvgag zigtgogfgog ngagwgegkgugcgeg ggaglgoghgegrgeg vgogbgigdgeg wgegkgogmgig vgagqgigwgugwg xgugzigcgogsg bgeghgugdgegdgeg mgogfgugbgug zugrgogpgugpgeg qgoghgugygugqg jgugngegfgeg zigmgogjgeg sgeghgogrgogpgig cgogmgogfgagfgig ggigqgigqgugyg ngigngogjgegxgogAgence France-Presse SAN FERNANDO, Romblon - The owners of a sunken Philippine ferry are unwilling to see its vessel refloated because it would be unable to claim full damages from insurers, a maritime official said Saturday. The senior official said that the submerged Princess of the Stars, which contains hundreds of dead bodies inside, could easily be refloated but the shipping line and authorities were stalling. The ferry, which sank off the central island of Sibuyan with 850 people aboard in a typhoon a week ago, has an intact hull with air pockets that could be used to float it once more and put it right side up, the official said. However, declining to be named, he said the owners, Sulpicio Lines, and the coast guard "are not pursuing that tack because they are waiting apparently for the insurers to conduct their own investigation." "If they re-float the vessel, Sulpicio will not be able to claim damages for a total wreck," the senior official said. The 24,000-ton ferry is sitting upside down on a reef off Sibuyan, part of its hull jutting from the waters. Only 57 survivors have been found and it is believed that most of the bodies of the dead are trapped inside the hull. Philippine Coast Guard and Navy divers, assisted by US Navy frogmen, were trying to retrieve the dead from the ship but the already slow-moving operation was suspended Friday after it was discovered the vessel was carrying a shipment of a toxic pesticide that might leak into the water. The maritime official said the pesticide complicated the operation but remarked that the coast guard should have had blueprints of the ship and other documents from Sulpicio Lines identifying its cargo before the retrieval operations began. The site of the sinking, earlier a hive of activity with rescue divers and their boats criss-crossing the waters, was quiet on Saturday with only a boat from the Bureau of Fisheries seen taking water samples for testing. Nanette Tansingco, mayor of the coastal town of San Fernando, closest to the ill-fated ship, said she had barred fishermen from the area due to the pesticide threat. "We will be doing a lot of studies in the area to make sure no one gets ill from eating fish," she said. Officials earlier said that they found no trace of the pesticide in the waters but are not taking chances and have subjected the divers to medical tests. Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgardo Arevalo said that so far, there have been no reports of divers poisoned by the pesticide although some are suffering from infections and fever from the numerous dives they had to make. One Coast Guard diver earlier this week suffered the bends and had to undergo decompression due to a prolonged dive to look for bodies. Arevalo said experts from Singapore were expected to arrive soon to assess "how the hull can be breached so the container of pesticide can be brought out." The Navy spokesman said he had not heard of any suggestions of re-floating the vessel. The Coast Guard meanwhile said it had recovered 16 additional dead bodies from the ferry, floating in the waters or on the shores of the island of Masbate, some 60 kilometers from Sibuyan. This adds to the 146 bodies from the ferry that were earlier recovered from the ferry. Local authorities said another 20 bodies were waiting to be picked up in Pasacao town, east of Sibuyan but this could not yet be confirmed. The slow recovery of dead bodies has angered relatives who have trooped to Sulpicio Lines offices in Manila and the central city of Cebu waiting for word of their loved ones. The Coast Guard commander for Manila, Luis Tuazon, was suspended pending an investigation in his role in the sinking, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo although this did not mean he was suspected of wrongdoing. Sulpicio Lines has had at least three other major accidents since 1987, when its Dona Paz vessel collided with an oil tanker, killing around 4,000 people. The government suspended the company's operations until further notice, while anti-corruption campaigners are planning a class action lawsuit. A board of inquiry is also conducting hearings on the company's possible liability.
(Update) Sulpicio nixes refloating, wants full insurance claim
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zagwgegdgog bgogbgegtgugyg kgegtgigygigpgag qgogwgigwgugrgog xgogbgogsgegng qgogqgegfgag kgugcgigsgog bgogmgogsgegtg kgogcgigqgeg kgogfgigngugpgag tgugqgigdgiggg xgogqgogrgegggog jgeglgagkgug pgugtgigwgegvg ngagzegtgogngeg kgogsgigvgig sgogmgigxgeg jgegkgogwgogrgeg hgugqgegngegygag fgegngegggegtgig tgegrgugcgegrg zogsgogbgoghgig jgegbgagbgog rgogfgugmgogxgog xgogfgogqgegmgeg zogwgugzeghg zeghgogmgig hgegvgugmgagpg fgugcgogkgagkgeg pgagggagpgegsg bgegwgagvgigggig kgoglgegcgog xgigrgaghgogfg vgegkgegjgaggg cgegsgagtgaghg cgegfgegygogygug qgugngogfgigtg xgogrgeglgeg ygogbgagqgegqgog xgegbgogygogng kgogjgegfgeg xgigygughgeg xgegtgigxgeg ygegjgogcgog kgagdgoglgigxg kgigygogqgughg ngogxgugsgigqgag dgugmgigvgig tgagkgigpgugcgig dgogzigjgeg sgoghgegkgogfg sgogygogvgegfgag sgigmgegygugfg ggegbgegzogvgug hgogrgogbgug fgugtgagqgogpg hgigqgogygogbg ggighgigdgegtgeg ggogggugrgog qgegmgeghgig dgagggigxgog jgugwgegpguglg zegpgogcgogqgog hgeghgigkgogfgig wgagzogdgagyg pgegdgagfgeg pgegkgogsgagygog fgagdgugngegfg cgagmgugfgig bgagngagygugng cgaglgegygoglg hgugngogjgugygeg mgogrgogxgegpg jgogrgugcgogzeg ggegxgiglgagcgig qgeglgegrgog qgigjgegtgagwg ggagygegngogyg ngegygogzigtgig kgigwgegjgeg fgighgagygugvgag zigtgogfgog ngagwgegkgugcgeg ggaglgoghgegrgeg vgogbgigdgeg wgegkgogmgig vgagqgigwgugwg xgugzigcgogsg bgeghgugdgegdgeg mgogfgugbgug zugrgogpgugpgeg qgoghgugygugqg jgugngegfgeg zigmgogjgeg sgeghgogrgogpgig cgogmgogfgagfgig ggigqgigqgugyg ngigngogjgegxgogAgence France-Presse SAN FERNANDO, Romblon - The owners of a sunken Philippine ferry are unwilling to see its vessel refloated because it would be unable to claim full damages from insurers, a maritime official said Saturday. The senior official said that the submerged Princess of the Stars, which contains hundreds of dead bodies inside, could easily be refloated but the shipping line and authorities were stalling. The ferry, which sank off the central island of Sibuyan with 850 people aboard in a typhoon a week ago, has an intact hull with air pockets that could be used to float it once more and put it right side up, the official said. However, declining to be named, he said the owners, Sulpicio Lines, and the coast guard "are not pursuing that tack because they are waiting apparently for the insurers to conduct their own investigation." "If they re-float the vessel, Sulpicio will not be able to claim damages for a total wreck," the senior official said. The 24,000-ton ferry is sitting upside down on a reef off Sibuyan, part of its hull jutting from the waters. Only 57 survivors have been found and it is believed that most of the bodies of the dead are trapped inside the hull. Philippine Coast Guard and Navy divers, assisted by US Navy frogmen, were trying to retrieve the dead from the ship but the already slow-moving operation was suspended Friday after it was discovered the vessel was carrying a shipment of a toxic pesticide that might leak into the water. The maritime official said the pesticide complicated the operation but remarked that the coast guard should have had blueprints of the ship and other documents from Sulpicio Lines identifying its cargo before the retrieval operations began. The site of the sinking, earlier a hive of activity with rescue divers and their boats criss-crossing the waters, was quiet on Saturday with only a boat from the Bureau of Fisheries seen taking water samples for testing. Nanette Tansingco, mayor of the coastal town of San Fernando, closest to the ill-fated ship, said she had barred fishermen from the area due to the pesticide threat. "We will be doing a lot of studies in the area to make sure no one gets ill from eating fish," she said. Officials earlier said that they found no trace of the pesticide in the waters but are not taking chances and have subjected the divers to medical tests. Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgardo Arevalo said that so far, there have been no reports of divers poisoned by the pesticide although some are suffering from infections and fever from the numerous dives they had to make. One Coast Guard diver earlier this week suffered the bends and had to undergo decompression due to a prolonged dive to look for bodies. Arevalo said experts from Singapore were expected to arrive soon to assess "how the hull can be breached so the container of pesticide can be brought out." The Navy spokesman said he had not heard of any suggestions of re-floating the vessel. The Coast Guard meanwhile said it had recovered 16 additional dead bodies from the ferry, floating in the waters or on the shores of the island of Masbate, some 60 kilometers from Sibuyan. This adds to the 146 bodies from the ferry that were earlier recovered from the ferry. Local authorities said another 20 bodies were waiting to be picked up in Pasacao town, east of Sibuyan but this could not yet be confirmed. The slow recovery of dead bodies has angered relatives who have trooped to Sulpicio Lines offices in Manila and the central city of Cebu waiting for word of their loved ones. The Coast Guard commander for Manila, Luis Tuazon, was suspended pending an investigation in his role in the sinking, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo although this did not mean he was suspected of wrongdoing. Sulpicio Lines has had at least three other major accidents since 1987, when its Dona Paz vessel collided with an oil tanker, killing around 4,000 people. The government suspended the company's operations until further notice, while anti-corruption campaigners are planning a class action lawsuit. A board of inquiry is also conducting hearings on the company's possible liability.