Occidental Mindoro map. INQUIRER FILE
CITY OF CALAPAN — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued 14 crew members of a cargo vessel that ran aground in Paluan town in Occidental Mindoro province on Friday (September 1).
The PCG revealed this in a belated report Sunday, September 3, noting that MV Joegie 5 ran aground in the waters off Paluan town at around 2 a.m. on Friday near Cape Calavite “due to strong winds and large waves.”
When the local PCG station received a phone call from the master of the vessel Captain Arnie Alberto asking for assistance about the incident, the agency directed its sub-station in nearby Mamburao to conduct search and rescue operations.
Alberto told the PCG that they were en route to Sablayan town loaded with 28,020 bags of cement from Bauan in Batangas when they encountered strong winds and large waves.
The impact of the wind and waves on the vessel made him decide to run the vessel aground to prevent it from sinking.
Paluan residents helped in the rescue of the crew and initially provided them with shelter.
Captain Edyson Abanilla, commanding officer of PCG in Occidental Mindoro, immediately instructed personnel from his station to remove the more than 15,000 liters of diesel from the vessel’s fuel tank to avoid an oil spill.
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