Seized ship 'Captain Ufuk' sank in Manila Bay
The "Captain Ufuk" sank in the Manila Bay in the morning of July 17, 2016, due to a lack of maintenance.
The vessel had been confiscated by the Philippines Customs after it was caught smuggling firearms in Mariveles, Bataan in August 2009, and was reported to have yielded 14 crates of high-powered guns before it was seized off the coast.
54 high-powered rifles worth about P25 million were found on board when after it sailed without notice into the Mariveles port, located at the mouth of Manila Bay. The captain at the time it was seized said it came from Turkey, Georgia, Gibraltar, Ghana, Cape Town in South Africa and Penang before proceeding to Jakarta and the Philippines.
Bruce Jones, the British captain, was not aboard when the ship was seized. He had left the ship to attend to his pregnant Filipina wife. Arrested were Jones’ replacement, the South African national John Lawrence, and 13 crewmen from Georgia.
Interviewed while being a fugitive, Jones sought government protection, saying that the syndicate behind the arm smuggling was threatening him and his family.
Jones said he was a victim of the incident, adding that he had documents to support that the guns were legally acquired from P.T. Pindad with address at JI. Jend. Gatot Subroto, 517 Bandung, Indonesia. He said he was instructed by his employer to deliver the guns to La Plata Trading, Inc. with office address at 14th floor, BDO Building, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City and was told that the cargo had been cleared by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to Jones, a total of 20 wooden crates full of guns were loaded into the ship from Indonesia. He said 19 of the boxes contained assault rifles and only one box contained 9mm pistols. Jones was shot dead two years later by two unidentified suspects aboard a motorcycle in Angeles City. His wife was wounded during the attack.
The ship was moored outside the breakwater in 2012. It was under the custody of the Bereau of Customs (BOC) and it been tried to sell the ship by auction since 2014. Regular visitors on Roxas Boulevard said it was on normal position before and just started listing on its port side past few days.
The hull had started to leak, most probably in engine room area, and the vessel listed increasingly to port The seven crew members tasked with maintaining the 49-year-old vessel abandoned ship at 9:40 p.m. Saturday after failing to stop water from entering. On July 17, 3/4 of the ship had submerged in Manila Bay.
The "Captain Ufuk" sank in the Manila Bay in the morning of July 17, 2016, due to a lack of maintenance.
The vessel had been confiscated by the Philippines Customs after it was caught smuggling firearms in Mariveles, Bataan in August 2009, and was reported to have yielded 14 crates of high-powered guns before it was seized off the coast.
54 high-powered rifles worth about P25 million were found on board when after it sailed without notice into the Mariveles port, located at the mouth of Manila Bay. The captain at the time it was seized said it came from Turkey, Georgia, Gibraltar, Ghana, Cape Town in South Africa and Penang before proceeding to Jakarta and the Philippines.
Bruce Jones, the British captain, was not aboard when the ship was seized. He had left the ship to attend to his pregnant Filipina wife. Arrested were Jones’ replacement, the South African national John Lawrence, and 13 crewmen from Georgia.
Interviewed while being a fugitive, Jones sought government protection, saying that the syndicate behind the arm smuggling was threatening him and his family.
Jones said he was a victim of the incident, adding that he had documents to support that the guns were legally acquired from P.T. Pindad with address at JI. Jend. Gatot Subroto, 517 Bandung, Indonesia. He said he was instructed by his employer to deliver the guns to La Plata Trading, Inc. with office address at 14th floor, BDO Building, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City and was told that the cargo had been cleared by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to Jones, a total of 20 wooden crates full of guns were loaded into the ship from Indonesia. He said 19 of the boxes contained assault rifles and only one box contained 9mm pistols. Jones was shot dead two years later by two unidentified suspects aboard a motorcycle in Angeles City. His wife was wounded during the attack.
The ship was moored outside the breakwater in 2012. It was under the custody of the Bereau of Customs (BOC) and it been tried to sell the ship by auction since 2014. Regular visitors on Roxas Boulevard said it was on normal position before and just started listing on its port side past few days.
The hull had started to leak, most probably in engine room area, and the vessel listed increasingly to port The seven crew members tasked with maintaining the 49-year-old vessel abandoned ship at 9:40 p.m. Saturday after failing to stop water from entering. On July 17, 3/4 of the ship had submerged in Manila Bay.