The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has filed a complaint against the owners and crew of the MT Tritrust and MT Mega Ensoleillee vessels for alleged involvement in “paihi” or fuel siphoning at the Navotas Fishport.
The charges were for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the National Internal Revenue Code, and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.
“The filing of this complaint is one step toward the fulfillment of our mandate to serve the Filipino people in ensuring our borders are safe and secure,” the BoC said Sunday.
Information showed the crew of the two vessels were caught in the act of smuggling fuel with the finding validated by a marking test conducted by Enforcement Group Fuel Marking Agents on the diesel fuel aboard both vessels.
The crew also failed to present a “withdrawal certificate,” according to the BoC. “All properly imported fuel is fuel marked; unmarked fuel is presumed to be illegally imported,” it added.
BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services (BoC-CIIS) Director Verne Enciso stated that based on the diesel fuel inventory, MT Tritrust contained approximately 320,463 liters, while MT Mega Ensoleillee had 39,884 liters.
“As we reported earlier, the unmarked fuel found in these two vessels amounted to P20.35 million, while the MT Tritrust was valued at P245 million and the MT Mega Ensoleillee at P450 million,” Enciso added.
The total value of the fuel and two fuel tankers discovered by the BoC amounts to P715,350,000.
Bunkering
The affidavit further stated that when the BoC team, along with the Philippine Coast Guard Task Force Aduana, asked the crew what they were doing in the Navotas Fish Port area, the captain responded that the vessel owners had ordered them to stay in the area for bunkering.
However, when asked to present their bunkering permits, both captains admitted they did not have any.
The registration documents presented by both vessels show that Megapower Petroleum and Shipping Corporation owns MT Tritrust and MT Mega Ensoleillee.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy, whose team received the derogatory information about the two fuel tankers, assured that appropriate cases were filed against Megapower Petroleum’s directors, corporate officers, and responsible individuals.
“As for the registered owners of these two vessels, we will not let them escape liability. Whether or not they were aware of the vessels being involved in the paihi modus, they must still face legal consequences for allowing their vessels to be used in transporting smuggled fuel,” Uy said.
Nine crew members of MT Tritrust and 16 crew members of MT Mega Ensoleillee, along with the still-unnamed owners of the vessels and the smuggled fuel, will face the complaint.