M/V Antonia 1
KOTA KINABALU: The director of Sabah State Security Council, Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof, issued an official request letter on Monday to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in the Philippines seeking permission to allow M/V Antonia 1 to sail to Sandakan to facilitate the deportation of Filipinos.
The official request letter was addressed to MARINA Vice Admiral Narciso A. Vingson Jr. Copies and forwarded to Aleson Shipping in Zamboanga City and its appointed agent in Sabah.
As stated in the letter, Saleha said: “As been informed, M/V Antonia 1 under Aleson Shipping is been used for deportation purposes for Filipino detainees in Sabah. Therefore, we would hope your (MARINA) cooperation in releasing the vessel as soon as possible as to ensure these people could go back home to their respective country. Any related issues, please allow us to handle it at our Malaysian country. Rest assured under the arrival and departure of the vessel has our blessing with a peaceful voyage.Therefore we hope you can release the vessel as soon as possible .Thank you for your cooperation”.
The mother company operating the Zamboanga-Sandakan weekly ferry since its inception in 1996, plans to organise special navigation trip upon receiving clearance from MARINA and other concerned agencies this week.
For safety purposes, Aleson said MARINA should allow the vessel to load cargoes in its ‘U-turn’ voyage.
“With an estimated 800 passengers (deportees), the cargo load is essential to maintain balance of the vessel during the 18-hour sea journey,” an official said and hoped local agencies will consider the request.
He said the special trip will be exclusive for only deportees and regular passengers from Sandakan will strictly be barred from boarding the vessel.
The official added that the management is hopeful that the M/V Antonia 1 will get its IMO certification next month paving way for its regular voyages during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Meanwhile, it was reported by a source that there are still a sizeable number of Filipino deportees detained at the three holding centres in Sabah.
The continued police operations against immigration violators in the state and the suspension of the weekly ferry service since August are causing serious congestions in the three centres.