Coast Guard vessel breaks down near Mindoro island

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel on its way to Cagayan de Oro to bring relief goods broke down near Mindoro island on Saturday.

The BRP Pampanga, a search and rescue vessel, limped back to the Batangas port where it is currently being repaired.

PCG spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Algier Ricafrente said the Pampanga experienced problems in its fuel system on Saturday night.

“They tried to fix it during the voyage but they realized that spare parts may be needed. So when they reached Mindoro, they decided to go to Batangas port so that the ship would be repaired well,” Ricafrente told reporters.

The coast guard official said the PCG was considering to transfer the relief goods being carried by Pampanga to the next available commercial cargo vessel departing Batangas. However, Ricafrente said the commercial vessel would take five says to reach Cagayan de Oro since it needed to pass provinces such as Masbate and Cebu first.

“If the Pampanga would be fixed by Thursday, it will just take 39 hours to reach Cagayan de Oro,” Ricafrente said.