PCG probes Manila Bay reclamation dredger with multiple identities

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, January 6, ordered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to “board all the dredgers operating in Manila Bay as part of the reclamation project and inspect their vessel registration and AIS transmission.” 

AIS refers to Automatic Identification System, which is used to track vessel movements. 

Marcos’ orders, announced by Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, who in turn quoted the PCG, follows a report from maritime incursion watchdog SeaLight, about Kang Ling 539, a dredger that was found to have used several identities — including the flag it has carried — as it sailed from Zhangzhou, China, to Manila Bay. 

In a separate statement on Wednesday, January 7, PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said Kang Ling 539 was previously apprehended for “safety-related violations, for which appropriate enforcement actions were undertaken.”

“The PCG has made it clear that should detainable violations still be present, and if the vessel is found to have been allowed to sail despite such violations, administrative sanctions to all involved PCG personnel will be imposed,” said Cayabyab.

Cayabyab said other dredgers in Manila Bay were also subject to inspections.

According to the SeaLight report, Kang Ling 539 used two identities — sometimes simultaneously and sometimes alternately, when it sailed from Manila Bay to further up north as it conducted a dredging operation along the Santo Tomas River on January 3, 2026. 

On that particular day, the vessel used the same Kang Ling 539 but simultaneously indicated itself as Sierra Leone-flagged, then Philippine-flagged. It shed its Philippine flag, according to SeaLight, just as it passed through the Bataan Peninsula before turning back on right and re-entering Manila Bay. 

SeaLight tracked Kang Ling 539’s movements and its shedding and acquiring of identities through AIS data, records from the International Maritime Organization, and closed monitoring systems that collate information, both open and proprietary, on vessels. 

The report put a spotlight on what has long been a controversial activity in the Philippines — reclamation projects across Manila Bay. These projects have become contentious because of possible environmental harm and security risks. 

In a letter to the PCG that was also sent to SeaLight, Golden Tiger Shipping Agencies, Incorporated, which operates Kang Ling 539, insisted that the ship’s importation, change of flag, and identifications were all above board.

“The vessel has maintained consistent traceable records, supported by logs, voyage data, port clearances, and regulatory findings,” the company said.

Golden Tiger also said they had “nothing to conceal” and “openly [welcomed] inspections, verifications, and technical reviews” of the vessel.

The company’s statement made no mention of the previous safety-related violations the PCG had flagged.

Cayabyab said the PCG investigation was still ongoing. – Rappler.com