Passenger ship hits barge

CEBU, Philippines - A passenger sea vessel hit an unlighted barge that was anchored at the vicinity of Bantolinao Lighthouse, in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday.

Luckily, no one was injured among the 220 passengers including five children and 44 crew members of M/V Light Ferry 8 of Lite Shipping Corporation when it hit the dumb barge Iron Man 1 as it was entering the north Cebu channel.

A dumb barge is one without a propeller and moves only when pulled by a tugboat.

Oliver Pulanco, assistant vice president for operations of Lite Shipping Corp., said the allision happened at 2:41 in the morning yesterday. Pulanco clarified that the incident was not a collision but an allision, a nautical term used when a moving sea vessel hits a stationary object.

Pulanco said M/V Lite Ferry 8 tried to avoid hitting the unlighted barge but the vessel’s anchor got tangled with the cable of the barge’s anchor.

Pulanco said that the barge sustained no damage while M/V Liter Ferry 8 sustained a 60-centimeter cut and a hole 15 centimeters in diameter around half foot below the forecastle deck.

The said vessel came from Ormoc City and was on its way to Cebu City.

Cebu Coast Guard station commander Rolando Punzalan said that M/V Lite Shipping 8 filed a marine protest yesterday.

A marine protest is similar to an affidavit as it gives details or account of events leading to a maritime incident.

Punzalan added that an investigation will continue with M/V Lite Ferry 8’s master and crew to determine other information on the incident.

Captain Sergio Herodias of M/V Lite Ferry 8, in his marine protest, said they were surprised to see a huge unlighted dumb barge in their passing lane. He said he immediately commanded to stop the engine but unfortunately their portside anchor got entangled with the cable of the barge’s anchor. Tugboat master Roland Hinojales of M/Tug Strong Devotion, in a separate marine protest, said that while their barge was anchored, M/V Lite Ferry 8 hit the anchor cable of the barge.

Hinojales claimed that the barge sustained a damage on the anchor roller and the anchor cable was slightly damaged. — (FREEMAN)