MANILA, Sept 18 — The Philippine Coast Guard said on Friday it confiscated 12.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 130 cases of dynamite aboard a vessel sitting at port in Palawan province.

The explosive substances were found on Sunday alongside materials used in detonations inside two trucks on a ferry that carried both cargo and passengers, the coast guard said in a statement.

Ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilisers, is safe if stored properly, but there can be catastrophic consequences when mishandled or mixed with explosives.

A stash of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate left to degrade in a Beirut warehouse killed more than 220 people and laid waste to swathes of the Lebanese capital when it exploded in 2020.

“The explosives and components were discovered inside (two trucks) aboard the RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) passenger vessel,” the coast guard said in a Friday statement, adding the cargo had been “improperly declared”.

“The confiscated explosives and components are currently under the custody of the Philippine National Police,” they said.

“The (coast guard) will work closely with the PNP to determine the role of the accompanying personnel in the shipment of said cargo.”

It was unclear if any arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon, and the name of the involved company has not been disclosed.

A coast guard officer tasked with port safety had been “relieved from his post to ensure impartial investigation”, the statement said.

The discovery comes in the wake of a series of deadly ferry accidents.

On September 9, a fire ripped after an explosion in the cargo hold of the M/V June Aster near the resort area of Coron, Palawan, burning dozens of passengers to death.

In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying more than 340 people sank off the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people. — AFP