MANILA, Philippines - A ferry carrying 44 passengers reportedly lost power last Sunday while at sea and drifted some two nautical miles before rescue ships arrived and towed the vessel to the Port of Balingoan in Misamis Oriental.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that the engine of the M/V Super Shuttle Ferry II stopped and the ship drifted aimlessly.
Initial reports indicated that the passenger ship was headed to Benoni, Camiguin when it suffered engine trouble and the crew immediately alerted the PCG.
Balilo said the ferry had a slow engine and when it stopped strong currents pushed the ship further to the open sea.
The PCG alerted all the vessels near the area to render necessary assistance to the distressed ferry.
The ill-fated vessel’s sister ships the M/V Super Shuttle Ferry VI, with PCG personnel on board, and the M/V Super Shuttle Ferry I also arrived.
The M/V Kalinaw also helped tow the ferry to the Port of Balingoan where all of its passengers safely disembarked.
The PCG advised the ship’s skipper to file a marine protest or report of the incident.
Another maritime probe
The PCG and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) have already started their parallel investigation on M/V St. Gregory the Great that encountered problems at sea and nearly capsized in the Iloilo Strait over the weekend.
Commodore Athelo Ybañez, PCG-Western Visayas commander, said that they would check if a violation of safety procedures caused damage to the ship, owned by 2GO Shipping Lines.
“We are looking at the possibility that they took a different route,†he said.
Based on initial investigation conducted by the PCG-Iloilo Station led by Lt. Cmdr. Dominador Senador III, the ship carrying 364 passengers did not run aground but hit rocks while navigating the Siete Pecados islets at Iloilo Strait.
The mishap created a five to 10- meter long hole in the vessel’s hull. – With Jennifer Rendon