Abandoned Chinese cargo ship drifting off Malolos

MANILA, Philippines - An abandoned Chinese cargo ship identified as MV Yuan Heng was discovered in Manila Bay off Malolos, Bulacan on Tuesday.

Local fishermen reported having seen the vessel drifting off Pamarawan as typhoon Labuyo blew through the area, according to local reports.

Malolos City Hall employee Roann Dionisio said in a radio interview that her team found the ship abandoned and decrepit.

"Sobrang dumi sa loob ... 'yong mga hagdan kapag tinapakan mo parang bibigay na. Nakakuha kami ng blankets at saka flag ng China," Dionisio said.

Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado has said that the ship was originally docked at Seafront Shipyard in Mariveles, Bataan before it floated toward Malolos at the onslaught of the typhoon.

The ship was found to be owned by South American Far Eastern Shipping, operated by Shandong Junghai Group and was registered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sy-Alvarado added.

The governor also said the ship will  be towed for dry docking. - Camille Diola