‘It was my first accident at sea’

LEGAZPI CITY — "It was the first accident at sea (which I have encountered) since I became a seaman 31 years ago."

Thus said Rodolfo Lopez, 45, captain of MT Isabela Angelica who, along with 11 of his 12 crewmen, was rescued at sea some 10 hours after the vessel sank off Layog Point Tuesday morning.

Lopez, who hails from Argao, Cebu, recalled that the weather was calm when the cargo ship loaded with 1,450 metric tons of coconut oil took off at about 6 p.m. Monday from the private wharf of the Legazpi Oil plant in Baranga Rawis here.

They were en route to Bauan, Batangas, which would have taken them 48 hours.

But what Lopez didn’t know was that a squall spawned by currents from the Pacific Ocean and a strong northeast windflow were awaiting them in the San Bernardino Strait.

"I was surprised when my chief mate told me that seawater had started to get inside the boat after strong winds buffeting the aft of the cargo ship broke the two-foot long and one-foot wide glass cover," said Lopez, who was hired by the cargo ship’s owner, the Manila-based VRC Lighterage Inc., six months ago due to his years of experience on foreign cargo ships.

Lopez said he immediately ordered some of his 13 crewmembers to pump out the two-inch high water from their compartment.

The pump did its work but the big waves, which were as high as five meters, forced the vessel to sway.

"We were just moving at 1.2 knots per hour as the ship forced its way against the current," he recalled. It was 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

By 4 a.m., the seawater inside the crew’s compartment already nearly reached the ceiling.

SOS Signal

"I got nervous and I immediately ordered the radio operator to send an SOS signal," he said. "After all of us had don our life jackets and the life boat was ready, I ordered (my men to) abandon ship."

The 498.29-gross-ton cargo ship listed and its aft slowly settled down and was gone. Earlier reports said the vessel had caught fire and sunk.

To prevent anyone from being carried away by the big waves, Lopez ordered his men to stay around the life raft.

The missing crewman, Roberto Gonzales Jr., 24, had complained of the bitter cold, he said.

"I was worried when he said he could no longer endure it," Lopez recounted.

Two hours later, their life raft was gone, too. For almost nine hours, they drifted in the sea with the strong easterly current in the San Bernardino Strait bringing them to the vicinity of Tikling Island near the Matnog port in Sorsogon.

Those rescued at about 1 p.m. Tuesday by MV Princess Bicolandia, a large ferry servicing the Matnog (Sorsogon)-Allen (Samar) route, were Alan Servano, James Benares, Marlon Galemba, Richard Pabrigas and Jesus Esmeralda.

At about 2:45 p.m., the MV King Frederich plucked out from the sea Hernan Salvador, Nepomuceno Lagos, Gambito de Cruz, Pacbito Pactoleren and chief engineer Sonny Depositario.

At about the same time, crewmembers of MV Melvin Jules were rescuing Lopez and ship oiler Ronnie Metal.

All of them were brought to the Coast Guard detachment in Matnog town.

"I wish there is an oil spill somewhere," said Commander Ronald Arenas, head of the five-man Coast Guard Aviation team which conducted an aerial survey Tuesday afternoon over Layug Point, about 3.5 kilometers from Barcelona, Sorsogon.

Aerial Survey

On board the German-made helicopter BO105, the team scoured some 225 square kilometers to find the remaining missing crewmember (Gonzales) as well as identify the spot where the cargo ship sank.

"We are going to conduct an aerial survey today covering some 600 square kilometers," Arenas said.

Coast Guard commander Crisolito Agustin said the Navy ship PS19 and MT Andreana Angelica, sister-ship of MT Isabela Angelica, will continue the search. The VRC Lighterage Inc. is also sending a salvage ship.

Lt. Nelson Torre, the Coast Guard’s Sorsogon commander, said he will issue an advisory to all shipping vessels plying the route to prevent another sea mishap.

"We will place a marker so vessels will avoid agrounding the sunken cargo vessel," he said.

The MT Isabela Angelica is a new cargo ship, having been in service in the past three years transporting coconut oil from the Legazpi Oil depot here to CocoChem Oil Co. in Bauan, Batangas, about 272 nautical miles away.

All the rescued crewmembers of MT Isabela Angelica were allowed to go home, except for Lopez, Departura and Lagas who are helping the Coast Guard in the search for Gonzales.