MANILA, Philippines — Fifty people were rescued from a roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) vessel early Sunday morning after it tilted on its side near the Banton, Romblon shoreline, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
According to PCG, 50 passengers were rescued by the agency’s team and local passenger boats within the vicinity waters after the maritime incident, and they went then brought to the Barangay Nasunugan Covered Court.
The agency said that MV Maria Helena owned by Montenegro Shipping Lines Inc., listed approximately 100 meters from the shoreline of Barangay Nasunugan around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
“Listing” is a nautical term describing a vessel that takes on water and tilts to one side.
PCG revealed that the listing happened after a tire of one of the rolling cargoes blew up and broke the lashing.
Aside from the 50 passengers, the vessel also carried 32 crew members who stayed on board to monitor the rolling cargoes and the vessel’s status.
Based on the report, as of 4:35 a.m. PCG said that the vessel had no signs of cracks on its hull but already listed 10 degrees portside due to an imbalance of cargoes and seawater that entered it.
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