Eastern Samar map
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) based here inspected a Chinese vessel that it earlier rescued in the waters off Suluan Island, Guiuan town, Eastern Samar.
Lt. Commander Ramil Montemar, chief of PCG Eastern Leyte-Tacloban, led the inspection of MV Kai Da 899 at the San Pedro Bay, located four nautical miles away from the Tacloban Port on Saturday.
He said nothing illegal or suspicious was found inside the 496 tonnage vessel though they were able to furnish a copy of a certificate of deletion of ship registration issued by the Chinese government.
“This means that the vessel is no longer safe for voyage and no longer meets the maritime safety standards,” Montemar said.
Among the information written on the certificate was that the ship was categorized as a supply boat and not a fishing vessel as earlier mentioned.
The vessel is being used to provide fuels and other essentials to boats that need them.
The ship, manned by seven crew members, made a distress call after it encountered a mechanical problem while sailing off Suluan Island on Thursday night.
It was towed by the PCG to the city on Friday afternoon.
“The crew members will not be allowed to disembark as the Coast Guard will provide their food and water and even fuel, if necessary,” Montemar said. “They will also ensure that during their anchorage, there will be no possible oil spill.”
All were also checked by the Bureau of Quarantine to ensure they were free from COVID-19 as shown in their vaccination cards.
Due to the language barrier, the PCG will ask the help of a Chinese translator to determine the names of the seven crew members who wrote their names and a short narrative of the incident in Chinese characters.
Montemar said that he could not say how many days the vessel would be anchored in Tacloban.