The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has suspended sea travel of a cargo vessel and a passenger ship after both incurred damages at the height of Tropical Depression Auring on Thursday in Dumaguete City.
Chief Petty Officer Ruben Caluscusin, deputy station commander of the Philippine Coast Guard in Dumaguete, disclosed Friday the MARINA has ordered the immediate suspension of the cargo vessel, SF Navigator, and the passenger ship, M/V Zamboanga Ferry. Both ships are now docked at the Dumaguete port.
According to CPO Caluscusin, the SF Navigator incurred damage to its bow and part of the hull after huge waves and strong winds spawned by “Auring” caused it to slam back and forth against one of the finger piers of the Dumaguete port.
The pier to which the SF Navigator was secured was also badly damaged. Luckily, the mooring lines of the cargo vessel did not break off from the cleats to which they were tied.
The SF Navigator has been docked at the Dumaguete port since December 28 to offload cargo, specifically rice sacks of undetermined volume, the Coast Guard said.
It had already offloaded all its cargo but continued to dock at the city port awaiting its next shipment to another destination as it is engaged in the tramp trade, one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. The SF Navigator, however, continued paying the necessary fees for the duration of its stay at the Dumaguete port.
A visible portion of the SF Navigator’s bow and forward portion of the hull was wrecked, with the MARINA to conduct an investigation and underwater survey for damages, the Coast Guard added.
Meanwhile, a tug boat had towed the M/V Zamboanga Ferry on Friday to the Dumaguete port after it ran aground about 50 meters away from the Rizal Boulevard.
Stormy weather due to Tropical Depression Auring caused the passenger vessel to miss its docking maneuver, with its securing lines disengaged by big waves and strong winds that pushed the passenger ship to a shallow portion of the sea.
The ship grounding resulted in at least five hours of rescue operations to evacuate a total of 228 crew members and passengers from the distressed inter-island vessel. All of the people on board were accounted for, however, one of them died later at a hospital in Dumaguete due to a pre-existing heart condition.
He was identified as Joel Nunez, 33, of Punta Engano, Lapu-lapu City in Cebu.
As of Friday, at least 83 passengers rescued from the Zamboanga Ferry are still stranded at a designated evacuation center at the passenger terminal of the Dumaguete port, awaiting transfer to Cebu.
Provisions and dry clothes are being provided them by the city government and other concerned agencies and the private sector.
Chief Petty Officer Caluscusin said the GP Lines has assured to accommodate them on another inter-island vessel free of charge.
When interviewed, the passengers said they will still have to claim their baggages from the Zamboanga Ferry as soon as it was safely docked at the city port.
Also, the GP Lines has assured to transport the body of the passenger, Joel Nunez, who died at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital hours after he was rescued.
Many of the rescued passengers who are from Dumaguete have already returned to their respective homes.
Still, other passengers, many of them students returning after the holiday break, on Friday also proceeded to the city port to claim their baggages but the Coast Guard advised them to wait until after the ship was safely secured at the pier. (PNA)
