Another “Star” meets accident: 2 ships collide just off Liloan

Even before the country could finish accounting for all the lives lost in the Princess of the Stars tragedy, the shipping industry again flirted with disaster with another “ star ” early yesterday.

The passenger ferry Wonderful Stars of Roble Shipping, bound for Ormoc, has just emerged from the narrow Mactan Channel when it narrowly missed a head-on collision off Liloan with the Cebu-bound MCC Zulu, a Burmese-registered cargo vessel.

At least two passengers on the Wonderful Stars suffered minor injuries when they fell off their cots as the two vessels brushed against each other in trying to avoid a direct collision.

The Wonderful Stars sustained minor damage to its catwalk and railings on its port side (left) while the Zulu suffered some damage to its main and poop decks on its starboard side (right).

It was not clear why, if the two ships were going in opposite directions and brushed against each other, they would sustain port-to-starboard (left-to-right) damage or vice versa. Ships going in opposite directions and brush against each other should sustain left-to-left (port-to-port) or right-to-right (starboard-to-starboard) damage.

The Wonderful Stars was carrying 607 passengers, including 21 children and infants. It was not know how many crew it had on board.

The two passengers who were injured were identified as Michael Sarteda of Cotabato City and Vincent Mateo of Sarangani. They were taken to the Ormoc Sugar Planters Association Hospital after the ferry landed at its destination but were released after x-rays showed they suffered no fractures.

In a marine protest, or incident report, filed with the Coast Guard, Wonderful Stars captain Joseph Lape of Pardo, Cebu City, said that when the Zulu hit his ship, he immediately ordered the vessel to stop so he can check for any damage.

Lape said he also directed the stewards to calm the passengers and check if anyone was hurt.

The skipper said that when he found that no one was hurt except for the two passengers and that the ship sustained no damage that affected the safety of further navigation, he ordered the ship to proceed to its destination.

None of the contending parties owned up to any fault in the accident.

Captain Alex Estabillo of the Filipino crew-dominated Zulu said that after the impact, he decided to reverse course in order to render assistance and check whether any passenger was hurt but received no response from the passenger ferry.

“ However after forty minutes, the Wonderful Stars contacted us and advised that the damage did not affect their seaworthiness and that they have decided to continue to their port of destination, ” Estabillo said in his marine protest.

At a preliminary conference of a marine board of inquiry held yesterday at the office of the Coast Guard, both parties agreed to settle matters amicably and to pay each other for the damages incurred.

Jose Roble, Vice President of Roble Shipping which owns the Wonderful Stars, said that the officers of the vessel have been temporarily reassigned elsewhere so they can rest and be available for further hearings.

Commander Antonio Gunio of the Philippine Coast Guard described the accident as both vessels having “sideswept” each other.

Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo yesterday said the collision could have been caused by human error since there was no bad weather reported in the area at the time of the incident. (Jasmin Uy, Roberto Dejon, and Ghea Sinajon and Alexandra Jaca, STC Masscom Interns/JST)