Coast Guard okays sea travel from Cebu, Batangas, Albay

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has given interisland vessels stranded in ports in Cebu, Batangas and Albay the go-ahead to sail as weather and sea conditions improved.

Commander Armand Balilo, head of the PCG’s Public Affairs Office, yesterday told the Inquirer that with this development, they expected a reduction in the number of stranded ship passengers in these ports.

The Coast Guard stopped ships from sailing after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued a gale warning over the Luzon and Visayan seaboards due to Typhoon Lando.

On Sunday, a total of 1,793 passengers were reportedly stranded in Cebu seaports while their counterparts in Batangas and Albay totaled 643 and 856, respectively.

Vessels stranded in other Luzon and Visayas ports will be allowed to sail again as soon as the gale warnings in their respective areas are lifted by the Coast Guard, an agency attached to the Department of Transportation and Communications, or DOTC.

As of 10 a.m., Monday, the number of stranded ship passengers totaled 6,203, nearly 190 less than the 6,391 passengers reported the previous day.

In various ports at Manila’s North Harbor, there were still 1,544 stranded passengers, according to the PCG.

Their counterparts in the following ports were as follows: Iloilo City, 963; Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, 809; Romblon, 191; Puerto Princesa City, 160; Coron, Palawan, 75; Sorsogon, 58; northern Quezon, 56; Occidental Mindoro, 50; Cuyo, Palawan, 41; Camarines Sur, 37; Masbate, 21; Batangas City, 14, Roxas City, 12; Caticlan, Aklan, 11, and Dumaguete City, 9, among others.

From 81 on Sunday, the number of stranded vessels was down to 59 on Monday morning.

On the other hand, there were 273 rolling cargoes stranded in these ports, from 540 on Sunday.