2Go vessel in minor collision with freighter
A passenger ship of 2Go Travel figured in a minor accident as it pulled out of the port of Cebu en route to Cagayan de Oro yesterday morning.
MV Pope John Paul II brushed the side of the freighter MV RKK 2 which anchored about 500 meters from Pier 1 in the narrow but busy Mactan Channel at 9:45 a.m.
All 742 passengers and 189 crew members of both vessels were safe.
There was only a minor damage in the railings of MV RKK 2, according to Philippine Coast Guard – Cebu Station chief Commander Weniel Azcuna.
Meanwhile, bad weather forced five vessels in Cebu to cancel their trips as typhoon Santi barreled towards Luzon.
The typhoon is expected to make a landfall early today in Aurora province.
Signal no. 3 was up in at least 15 areas in Luzon while Metro Manila and ll others were placed under Signal No. 2. (see related story on page 8.)
MV Don Carlos Sr. was grounded at Pier 4 in Cebu City and no longer issued tickets for their 10 p.m. Friday night trip for Manila.
Rough seas yesterday forced smaller vessels in the different ports of Cebu to cancel their trips.
Affected by the weather were MV Aznar 2 in the Toledo City-San Carlos City, MV Leonor 2 and MV Roro 1 in Tangil port of Dumanjug for Dumaguete City, and motorboat Ave Maria 5 from Camotes port to Leyte.
The Coast Guard said it was the decision of the shipping companies not to sail because of huge waves even if Central Visayas was not directly affected by typhoon Santi.
Boy Artiaga, weather forecaster of Pag-asa Mactan, said travel of small sea craft was risky because of rough seas. He said waves between Bohol and Cebu and the eastern section of the Visayas were three to four meters high.
In the sea accident in the Cebu port, the passenger ship MV Pope John Paul II left Pier 6 at 9:30 a.m. and had to slow down on its way out of the Mactan Channel because of an incoming vessel.
The strong current and big waves pushed the ship towards the cargo vessel.
Captain Ricardo Ababa, skipper of MV Pope John Paul II, was able to quickly maneuver the vessel and immediately requested for a tug boat to help. He was instructed to file a marine protest with the PCG in Cagayan de Oro City once the vessel docks at the CDO port.
After an inspection by the PCG, the passenger vessel was allowed to sail at 10:20 a.m.
Lito Salvio of 2GO Travel said they coordinated with the owner of the cargo vessel and commissioned a tug boat to move the freighter to another port to avoid congestion.
