ILOILO CITY, Philippines?Less than three months after the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon, another ship owned by Sulpicio Lines Inc. figured in an accident on Thursday, damaging portions of a port expansion project here.

The MV Cotabato Princess, bringing a cargo of fruits, vegetables and fish, was about to dock at around 1 p.m. when a strong wave hit the ship causing it to ram into the bored piles of the port construction project, said Francisco Salem, manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) port services division here.

Engineer Ramelo Sumague, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) shipbuilding specialist, said the ship had drifted to the side, hitting the bored piles of the ongoing project at the wharf due to ?strong water current.?

The International Builders Corp., contractor of the P180-million port expansion project, informed the PPA that the Sulpicio Lines vessel hit 16 bored piles?12 of which had been smashed while four had been skewed.

The contractor pegged the damage at P16 million, Salem said. He added that the port construction was 80 percent complete when the incident happened.

Declared seaworthy

The Marina certified the seaworthiness of the MV Cotabato Princess so it could proceed to its next port of call.

Sumague said the vessel had acquired ?negligible damage? with only scratches and dents on its side.

The initial assessment of the ship?s underwater hull showed ?no damage,? Sumague told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview. ?But it must undergo a thorough underwater inspection from an accredited surveyor.?

The MV Cotabato Princess is one of two passenger-and-cargo ships allowed to resume cargo-only services starting this month.

No passengers

Sumague said the MV Cotabato Princess was allowed to sail with cargo but not with passengers due to the June 21 sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars.

The vessel, which came from Zamboanga, arrived here at 1 p.m. Thursday.

It was scheduled to leave for Manila at 3 p.m. on the same day until the incident took place, said Sulpicio Lines staff Belen Zerrudo in a phone interview.

The Inquirer tried to get a statement from Sulpicio Lines Iloilo manager Kim Pancho and the ship?s captain Virgilio Ilagan, but they were out of the office according to Zerrudo.

In Manila, the Philippine Coast Guard has confirmed that the MV Cotabato Princess ran aground at Port San Pedro at around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, damaging at least 16 piles and a crane boom used in the port expansion construction.

Although the ship sustained some damages, no one among the ship?s 49 crew had been injured, said PCG chief Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo.

The Coast Guard said Ilagan, the ship?s captain, had blamed big waves for the incident.

Another one

The latest Sulpicio Lines mishap in Iloilo would bear weight in the Marina?s ongoing hearing on the proposed cancellation of the shipping company?s franchise, according to the transport department.

Transport Undersecretary for Maritime Affairs and concurrent Marina OIC Elena Bautista said in a text message to the Inquirer that the incident would be taken as an input in the ongoing hearing.

The PPA would also charge port damages to Sulpicio Lines? insurance company, said the transport department.

The Inquirer tried to reach Sulpicio lawyer Ma. Victoria Florido but she did not respond to voice calls or text messages as of press time.

Suspend or cancel?

To recall, Sulpicio Lines? passenger vessels had been grounded for auditing after the MV Princess of the Stars sank on June 21 with hundreds of casualties.

Bautista said: ?Safety and enforcement offices of the Marina were ordered to investigate the incident and inspect the vessel. The report is due on Monday. Based on results, we will order grounding if found negligent. But the grounding order has to be approved by the board.?

The Board of Marine Inquiry has recommended the suspension of Sulpicio Lines? franchise in connection with the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars, while the Office of the Solicitor General is seeking the cancellation of the franchise.

Relatives of victims of the ill-fated Princess of the Stars also want the shipping company sanctioned in light of its involvement in various maritime incidents, some of which involved massive casualties. With a report from Jerome Aning