Refloating operations of cargo ship begins

CEBU - The cargo ship that sank near the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge two weeks ago will soon refloat as the first of the six-phase refloating operations kicked off yesterday.

Antonio Cuasito, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas District, said that the refloating operations started after they gave clearance to Omega Steel and Marine Services as the company that will undertake the said operations.

The cargo ship, LCT Gwen Vida, loaded with sand and gravel from Leyte sank last September 13 after it was battered by huge waves. All the 13 crew members including the ship captain were rescued by a passing tugboat.

The vessel is owned by Jomalia Shipping, Inc.

Aurelio Pepito, owner of OSMS, said that if there are no glitches in their operations they can have the ship afloat by two weeks. But if there would be weather disturbances, huge waves among others, they would be able to complete the task in about a month.

The said sunken ship was considered as navigational hazard especially to the passing ships as a portion of the ship’s hull protrudes from the water.

In yesterday’s operations, 10 personnel from the OSMS bore a hole on the ballast tank of the vessel to check the amount of water that had seeped into the said vessel.

After this, Pepito said the next step would be to check the manhole to see if there are no gasket leaks, among others, before the vessel will be taken to the shipyard for repair.

Pepito further said that the operations would cost between P2 million to P3 million. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon with reports from Bong Soriano of BANAT News/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)