Rescue operations saved some 228 passengers and 63 crew members of the M/V Zamboanga Ferry after it ran aground while being hammered by strong winds and waves brought about by the low pressure area which suddenly developed into Tropical Storm Auring.
The Zamboanga Ferry, a roll-on roll-off ship weighing 851 gross tons, had arrived from Zamboanga City and was docking at the Dumaguete port when the winds blew it off its course and brought it close to Dumaguete’s Rizal Boulevard, where a floating dock and passenger terminal of Delta Fastferries Inc. washed ashore one month earlier due to Typhoon Pablo.
In a press statement, Georgia Felice Chiongbian Rama, GP Lines vice president, said all the passengers were evacuated to safety as of 4 p.m. She said the strong gusts of wind at 34 kilometers per hour cut the mooring lines and made it difficult for the vessel to dock as the winds and wave were pushing it towards the pier.
Capt. Roland Villarin quickly maneuvered the vessel out of the port area to secure the safety of all the passengers and crew onboard and to wait until it is safe to dock once the weather subsided, the statement continued.
However, instead of mooring in a safe area, the vessel was pushed close to the boulevard. The vessel dropped anchor and secured itself to the port to prevent it from being washed ashore. Jose Chu, the coordinator of the Dumaguete City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said that rescuers concluded that the vessel had run aground because it could not anymore move on its own power. Chiu said the vessel may have to wait for high tide before it could sail again.
Initial efforts to drag the boat to deeper waters to enable it to restart its engines had failed after the ropes tied to a forklift broke. Rescuers from various groups then resorted to the rescue operation to bring the passengers to dry land. Many of the passengers were students of Dumaguete’s four universities who were returning to the City from their Christmas break.
Dumaguete Coast Guard Station Commander CPO Crispin Chiong told reporters that the ship was carrying 194 adults, 23 children and 11 infants.
The rescued passengers were given first aid treatment at the Boulevard and were brought to the passenger terminal of the Philippine Ports Authority.
Many of them expressed relief at being on dry land. “We were so afraid for our lives a while ago. Now, I can say we’re all OK,” said a grandmother from Manjuyod town who was traveling with her three grandchildren.
