PHOTO FROM PCG
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – A cargo vessel from Vietnam ran aground in the waters off Balabac town in Palawan province on Tuesday night, the Balabac Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction Management (MDRRM) Office said Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Balabac MDRRM Officer Chan Alsad said MV Viet Hai Star was reported to have run aground around 9 p.m. some 100 yards off the port of Barangay 4.
The vessel was on its way to Cagayan de Oro with 17 crew aboard and carrying 80,000 bags of rice when the incident happened.
The MDRRMO said that according to a crew, the vessel met unfavorable weather conditions and its hull was punctured, letting water into it.
PHOTO FROM PCG
Upon being alerted, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the PNP Maritime Group immediately launched joint search and rescue operations.
Rescuers reached the vicinity waters at around 9:45 p.m. and checked the status of the crew and the distressed vessel. Initial assessment showed that the crew found the first compartment of the ship already flooded.
The PCG said the ship’s Vietnamese crew only decided to abandon the ship at around 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, and then arrived at Balabac Port around 5:10 a.m.
PHOTO FROM PCG
The PCG said all crew members were in good physical condition upon arriving at the port.
The vessel and the crew are at the Coast Guard Station Southwestern Palawan in Balabac as investigation continues.
The authorities reported no oil leak from the vessel that was partially submerged in the waters off Balabac.
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