JAGNA – Even its new schedule in the Jagna-Camiguin route was not spared by complaints of passengers over habitual delayed departure schedules. OceanJet, the fastcraft company serving a new route via Jagna was the object of complaint by a passenger whose family took the trip of the vessel’s schedule from Jagna to Camiguin. The passenger who requested anonymity said he tried to catch up the boat’s schedule to pay a visit to his relatives during the recent All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day break, onloy to learn that it did not depart as announced. Ocean Jet 7, plying the Cagayan de Oro-Benoni/Camiguin-Jagna route, was supposed to arrive at about 1:30 in the afternoon of October 31 from Camiguin but arrived here more than two hours later. It left this port to Benoni port almost 4 in the afternoon the same day. But nobody from the fast-craft crew, not even its captain, tried to explain why it was very late when, in fact, there was no weather disturbance, said the passenger. Passengers bound for Camiguin and CDO cannot do otherwise but to board the vessel until they reached their destinations, said an officer of the port here in an interview.

It easily earned a moniker of “Ocean Late,” said provincial tourism officer Jo R. Cabarrus, who herself had a sad experience when it ran “side-winding” at one time while at sea. The vessels of the outfit are often the object of passenger complaints from its Cebu-Tagbilaran-Cebu run. The complaints range from sanitation concerns to delayed trips. Ocean Jet is always earning flaks apparently due unworthiness in sea travel. If it continues to ignore the demand for improvement of its dwindling services, the safety of the tourists and passengers could be at risk, said a resolution passed last week by the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) executive committee. The PTC passed the resolution urgently requesting the vessel company to make improvement of their poor services in answer apparent to mounting complaints against the fastcraft company. It also appeals for government agencies concerned to look into the company’s “inability” of providing satisfactory service to its clientele, said Cabarrus, head of the council’s secretariat. Poor service, unsanitary and dirty toilets are among the complaints. Ocean Jet 7 with port of registration in Cebu City is operated by Ocean Fast Ferries Company. The vessel built by Mitsui Zosein Company Inc. in Japan in 1973. It is run by Cummins engines. (RVO)