The Chinese crew members of a Sierra Leone-flagged ship are being investigated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) after the vessel was seized due to deficiencies.

In a report on Friday, the PCG said the MT Hyperline 988 is currently being held along with its seven Chinese crewmembers due to 21 maritime deficiencies.

The vessel was intercepted on Thursday while anchored off San Felipe, Zambales.

On 15 May, the PCG received a report the vessel had hoisted the Philippine flag. Upon verification, the PCG found that its automatic identification system had been turned off.

Coast Guard personnel tried communicating with the vessel’s crew via handheld radio but received no response, the PCG said.

The vessel’s last port of call was Hong Kong which it departed on 11 May, arriving in Zambales on 15 May.

The seven crew members reportedly failed to present original and printed versions of relevant documents, including the crew list, passports and seaman’s books.

On investigation, the ship master said their intended destination was the Manila anchorage area, but due to the high anchorage fees they decided to dock in Zambales, a more affordable option.

San Felipe, Zambales has no port so the vessel did not pay anchorage fees.

The Coast Guard K9 unit conducted a paneling inspection with a narcotics detection dog but yielded a negative result.