Ship that almost sank off Iloilo port has 8 holes

ILOILO CITY—Divers found at least eight holes in the hull of a ship that nearly sank 10 nautical miles from the Iloilo port on Saturday.

All the 364 passengers and about 50 crew members of the MV St. Gregory The Great were able to disembark while water was pumped out from the vessel.

The ship, operated by 2GO, left Manila on Friday for Cagayan de Oro City, with stopovers in Bacolod and Iloilo cities. It was believed to have hit a coral or rock formation near Siete Pecados, a group of islets in the Guimaras Strait.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) investigators said the passengers were awakened by a loud noise at 3:30 a.m. and felt the ship shake. The crew alerted the PCG after water began entering the engine room.

Lt. Cmdr. Dominador Senador III, head of the PCG station in Iloilo, said the water depth at the engine room reached 3 meters 40 minutes later. By that time, he said, the ship anchored off the port.

Six of the holes were found near the front of the hull and the two others at the back, Senador said. The slit-like holes had diameters ranging from 4 centimeters to 1.10 meters. Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas