MANILA, Philippines - Strong winds up to 10 knots reportedly caused the 7,268 gross ton M/V SuperFerry 9 to capsize off the coast of Zamboanga Peninsula last Sept.6, the ship’s skipper Captain Jose Yap told the eight-man member Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) during yesterday’s first hearing on the incident at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The 41-year-old Yap told the BMI panel chaired by PCG vice commandant for administration Rear Admiral Alejandro Flora that strong winds played a major factor in the listing of the ship toward the starboard (right) side.
But one of the BMI members, Captain Reynaldo Sabay, a merchant marine officer, told reporters that while he would agree that the winds were strong which might cause a vessel to tilt, the ship would still have been able to return to its upright position.
When asked how strong was 10 knots of wind and if it could cause a ship to capsize, Sabay said “a 10-knots wind is not that strong. The ship would have felt the wind if it was already 35 knots, it would not cause the ship to capsize but it would affect the stability of the vessel.”
Another BMI member, retired Navy Captain Tomas Baino, said that “no matter how strong the wind may be, it would not cause the ship to capsize…No amount of wind force would cause it to capsize because of the buoyant force.”
Chief Engineer Rodelio Lagat, also part of the BMI panel, asked Chief Mate Francis Garcia whether it was “a heel or a list.”
“It was a list. A list would have meant internal, while a heel is caused by an outside force. There would be a list if weight was added,” answered Garcia.
Lagat believed that Garcia’s answer contradict the testimony of Captain Yap. “If a list means it was caused by something internal then maybe it was the cargo and it could remove the strong wind factor as the cause of the ship’s sinking.”
But when asked if the Captain used the correct procedures, BMI member Sabay said yes, citing that a lot of people survived the sea mishap. More than 900 people survived while 10 died.
Vessel tilted at 4:30 p.m.
Yap told the BMI that the M/V SuperFerry 9 left the General Santos Port at 9:45 a.m. of Sept. 5. At around 4:30 p.m. they noticed that the vessel’s position was slightly tilted toward the port bow and believed that it was caused by a wind force measuring four knots.
“Prior to that everything was routine, normal,” said Yap, who is a Master Mariner.
At around 11 p.m., or 13 hours into the voyage, the ship began to list to the starboard side. The ship was entering the Zamboanga Channel because it was on its way to Iloilo.
During this time, the sea condition was described as having “not much waves, but the ship was already slightly rolling…This was the first time that the ship listed on the starboard side.”
At this time, he said passengers would still be able to walk on the deck.
Yap immediately acted on the problem by heeling or transferring 13 tons of water to bring the ship to its upright position, and until the clinometer, or the instrument used to measure the angle of a ship, registered a zero.
Once they had uprighted the position of the ship, they continued with their voyage.
By midnight, as they were already approaching Caldera Point, Yap decided to go to his cabin to rest.
But after an hour or around 1 a.m., he was awakened and had to return to the bridge because it started rolling again. The vessel was tilting sideways but was still able to return to its upright position.
Yap noticed that the wind, which he believed might have been enhanced by typhoon “Labuyo,” continued to gather strength and increased to 10 knots.
The vessel listed again, between two to four degrees on the starboard side. He again conducted a heeling procedure, transferring 22 tons of liquid to the left or port side of the ship. At this time, they were already traversing Batorampon Point.
The captain then asked some of the officials to check on the cargo located below the ship to ensure that the lashings were intact. He was informed that there was no problem with the 186 pieces of cargo that included the container vans and 21 cars.
But despite Yap’s efforts, by 2 a.m. the vessel listed further to the starboard side, this time at five degrees. He then ordered the other officers, including Chief Mate Garcia, to be awakened. He also decided to lessen the ship’s speed.
By this time, the wind had picked up to 10 knots and the position of the vessel listed to 10 degrees. When it reached 25 degrees, they experienced a power blackout.
Some of the cargo lashings had already been broken, causing some of the container vans to shift from their position and further throw off the stability of the ship.
It was at this juncture when Yap ordered an “abandon ship” and for the ship’s officers and crew to assist the more than 900 passengers in donning their lifejackets. There were enough lifejackets for everyone.
“I declared an abandon ship for the sake of the passengers and crew. This was at 3:10 a.m. of Sept. 6,” Yap told the BMI panel.
“The wind force on the portside was already 10 knots. When I observed from the bridge, there were moderate waves.” He added that they also sent out distress signals to nearby ships.
He also admitted that it was only when the vessel was listing by 25 degrees that he informed his officer, through cellular phone, about their predicament.
M/V Myriad and M/V Ocean Integrity were the first two ships to assist them, while the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy came at 7 a.m.
Being the captain, Yap said he was the last to leave the ship.
“One passenger even died in my arms,” he said.
The vessel sank at around 9 a.m. or six hours after he declared “abandon ship”.
The PCG has not yet called off the search and rescue operations just in case there are still people needing assistance.
In Zamboanga, police authorities are still combing the coastal areas of Zamboanga del Norte for survivors after relatives reported that their relatives who boarded the ship were still missing. Chief Superintendent Angelo Sunglao, police director for Western Mindanao, said they are still conducting search and rescue operations in the coastal towns of Sibuco, Sirawai, Siocon and Baliguian where the ill-fated ferry capsized and sunk some 14 nautical miles from the peninsula.
PNP recognizes marshal who saved passengers’ lives
The Philippine National Police yesterday gave recognition to a police sea marshal who saved the lives of passengers of the ill-fated SuperFerry 9.
PNP chief director general Jesus Verzosa awarded the Medalya ng Kadakilaan (Heroism Medal) to Senior Police Officer 3 Loreto Justo of the PNP Maritime Group during the 14th anniversary celebration of the Police Community Relations Group in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Justo was cited for heroic action and stability under pressure when he skillfully responded to the situation by leading passengers of the sinking ship to safety. He helped panicking and confused passengers, supervising an organized evacuation when the ship captain gave the order to abandon ship.
Meanwhile, some survivors of the SuperFerry 9 also yesterday sought the help of the Public Attorney’s Office regarding the damages they should have been given by the ship’s owner, Aboitiz Transport System. – With Roel Pareño, Cecille Suerte Felipe