Coast Guard to continue search for missing ferry passengers

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo yesterday said they would continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the vicinity of the Zamboanga peninsula after receiving reports that there are still six persons missing from the sinking of the M/V SuperFerry 9.

“I have no intention of calling off the search and rescue operations as of now since we are still looking for six persons. We do not know if they are really missing or have already been found but have not yet contacted their relatives, or have not yet been accounted for,” said Tamayo.

The PCG chief said he might wait 15 or 20 days from the sinking on Sept. 6, before he calls off search and rescue operations.

The PCG has maintained several vessels in the area to monitor the oil sheen that reportedly spilled off the submerged ship. A few days ago, 14 containers were spotted floating on the water, which might be hazardous to other ships.

The PCG has already informed all ships plying the route to be careful in navigation, and has retained a search and rescue vessel, BRP Corregidor, equipped with oil spill booms and used by their Marine Environment Protection Unit, a monitoring coastal surveillance vessel and a PCG aircraft.

A week after the sinking, ship owner Aboitiz Transport Service Corp. has yet to announce if they would hire a salvor company to siphon the oil from the vessel.

Tamayo said there are yet also no plans to remove the 7,268 gross ton ship from the bottom of the sea.

“It fell into the very deep part of the sea at about 5,000 feet. It would be difficult to remove it. But we would continue to consult with expert salvage firms on what can be done to the vessel.”

Aside from the PCG, other units helping in the search and rescue operations are the Philippine Navy, the local Philippine National Police units and the local government units.

The Navy, working with Air Force assets serving as spotters from the sky, figured prominently in the rescue, recovering a total of 442 survivors and four cadavers in swift and decisive action that earned them accolades from different sectors.

No benefit for SLI

In a related development, Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) vice president for marketing Jordan Go said they could not yet determine if their company benefited from the suspension of the ATSC vessels.

“As of the moment it is still too early to say if the grounding of the ATSC ships have any effect on the cargo. September is the start of the peak months, so we cannot say if there is any difference. It could be because of the confluence of events and it would be difficult for us to know if it was due to the peak season or the result of the ATSC grounding,” Go said.

ATSC and SLI vessels share Visayas and Mindanao routes.

“We maximize our ships but our cargo are not always full. We just go to multiple ports,” he said.

SLI figured in a sea mishap last June 21, 2008 when their 23,000 gross ton M/V Princess of the Stars sank near Sibuyan island in Romblon.

Marina also issued a show-cause order against SLI, temporarily suspending its Certificate of Public Convenience.

The PCG had said that only 33 of the Princess passengers survived, 548 have been confirmed dead and 283 others remain missing.

At present, Go said they are not yet ferrying passengers and that their business revolves around cargo. Nine of their cargo ships and two of their passenger-cargo ships are operating.

In the case of the sinking of the 7,268 gross ton M/V SuperFerry 9, initial investigation showed that there were at least 10 casualties and 958 survivors.

The ATSC vessel left General Santos City last Sept. 5 for a two-day voyage to Iloilo. It was expected to arrive at the Iloilo Port at around 1 p.m.

However, at around 3:30 a.m. of Sept. 6, the vessel tilted 35 degrees toward its starboard (right side).

The captain reportedly declared “abandon ship,” but some of the passengers opted to wait for the sun to rise before jumping into the water, believing that it would be easier for search and rescue vessels to see and fish them out of the water. 

The ship reportedly sank 9.5 nautical miles west of Banga Point, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.         – With Roel Pareño