Fishing boat, rammed by South Korean ship, sinks off Davao City; 11 fishers saved

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MANILA, Philippines — The MV Rainbow Joy, a South Korean-registered general cargo ship, rammed a fishing boat off Ligid Island in Davao City on Saturday, causing the smaller vessel to sink instantly, the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters in Manila reported Sunday.

Citing a maritime incident report from the PCG station in Davao City, Lt. Commander Armand Balilo, the PCG spokesperson, said that all 11 crew members of the fishing boat Raisa survived the accident.

“All 11 fishermen are in good condition after they were rescued by other fishermen in the area,” he disclosed.

A certain Boy Jimlani, a resident of Isla Verde, also in Davao City, and owner of the ill-fated fishing boat, is set to file a marine protest regarding the collision.

The PCG-Davao City said, “The fishermen aboard the Raisa’s crew were hauling their nets at around 9 a.m. when they noticed the approaching ship.”

“Efforts were made to call the attention of the vessel to no avail until it hit the front section of the Raisa, causing the fishing boat to sink instantly. The cargo ship briefly slowed down after the boat ramming, then shifted to its normal cruising speed. It did not make any effort to check the condition of the fishermen on the water,” it said.

In its report, the PCG also said the 6,213-gross ton MV Rainbow Joy was registered to the ownership of the Ocean Eleven Shipping Corporation, with offices at Vabien 3 Building, 86 Tongil-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul.

The ship reportedly left Tefasco Wharf in Barangay Ilang, Davao City, on Saturday morning en route to an undisclosed port in Indonesia.