2 sea vessels in collision grounded

THE PASSENGER ferry Starcraft 9 after the collision with a cargo vessel. LITO TECSON/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—Authorities suspended the operations of two vessels involved in a collision near the Talisay City port on Wednesday that injured one crew member.

Jose Cabatingan, spokesperson of the Maritime Industry Authority office in Central Visayas, said the operations of Starcraft 9, a passenger ferry, and The Our Lady of Faith, a cargo vessel, had been suspended until safety inspectors declare them to be seaworthy.

A crew member was hurt after he fell into the water shortly before 6 p.m. on Wednesday when the two vessels collided in the vicinity of Lawis Ledge in Talisay City, Cebu.

Chief engineer Romeo Astillero, of Starcraft 9, was unconscious when brought to the hospital, said Commander Weniel Azcuna, head of Coast Guard Cebu.

Starcraft 9 left Pier 3 around 5:30 p.m. and was bound for Tubigon town, Bohol province, with 260 passengers and 16 crew members on board.

The Our Lady of Faith, a cargo vessel of MC Phil Maru Shipping, was coming from Naga City, Cebu province and bound for Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

The cargo vessel was loaded with 1,520 metric tons of cement with four officers and 20 crew members on board.

The two vessels collided in a channel where vessels usually pass by to and from Cebu ports.

Azcuna said Astillero was at the stern of Starcraft 9 when the collision happened. He apparently lost his balance and fell overboard.

A Coast Guard report said he was rescued but unconscious.

The rest of the vessel’s crewmen and passengers were unharmed, the Coast Guard report said.

Azcuna said Starcraft 9 passengers transferred to Starcraft 7, which left at 8 p.m. for Tubigon town in Bohol.

The Our Lady of Faith proceeded to Consolacion town in northern Cebu.

Azcuna said he has yet to find out what caused the collision as skippers Roman Pialagro of Starcraft 9 and Jose Adaptar of Our Lady of Faith have yet to submit their reports.

He added Lawis Ledge is an accident prone area because of the heavy volume of inbound and outbound vessels.

It was in Lawis Ledge where MV Thomas Aquinas of 2Go and Sulpicio Express Siete of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (the new name of Sulpicio Lines) collided in August 2013, killing more than 100 passengers.

Azcuna said the Coast Guard was working with the Japan

International Cooperation Agency in developing a traffic monitoring system to prevent ship collisions in the area.