2 crewmen missing as cargo ship sinks in Sarangani Bay

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—Two crewmen were missing after a cargo ship sank in Sarangani Bay Tuesday evening following a collision with another vessel, officials said Wednesday.

Commodore Roy Echeverria, local Coast Guard station chief, said the smaller vessel M/V Bulk Carrier 1, which was bound for Dumaguete, sank when it collided with the Liberian-flagged container ship HS Puccini, which was heading toward this city from Davao City, around 7:42 p.m. some seven nautical miles off Maasim town in Sarangani province.

Jing Burgos, representative of M/V Bulk Carrier 1, told reporters that 23 crew members of the ill-fated ship, two of them in serious condition, were rescued. But two more crew members of M/V Bulk Carrier 1 remained missing, he said.

Echeverria said their operations were focused on finding the two missing men.

“As soon as the rescue operation is over, we will investigate what really caused the collision,” Echeverria said.

He said the Coast Guard was alerted to the collision Marco Krank, HS Puccini’s captain, sent a distress call around 8:20 p.m.

Echeverria said he immediately dispatched a team to conduct search-and-rescue operations and to conduct an initial investigation.

The Coast Guard also sent out medical team and marine environmental protection personnel to contain a possible oil spill, he said.

Tuesday’s collision was the second disaster in Sarangani Bay this year.

In May, the MV Double Prosperity, loaded with 66,000 tons of coal enroute to India from Australia, ran ran aground seven kilometers off Kiamba town.