CEBU City, Philippines—The Coast Guard on Tuesday grounded around 30 passenger vessels leaving several ports in Cebu for different destinations in the Visayas due to Tropical Depression “Ramon.”
Cebu Coast Guard Station commander Rolando Punzalan said that as of 12 noon Tuesday, 33 passenger vessels weighing below 1,000 gross tonnage in the ports of Cebu City, Danao City, Hagnaya in San Remegio, Camotes Island and Bantayan Island were not allowed to leave.
The grounded vessels ply between Cebu and Tubigon, Talibon and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; and Ormoc City, Villaba, Baybay City, Merida, Hilongos, Bato and Isabel in Leyte.
Captain Anelito Gabisan, commander of the Coast Guard in Bohol, said only one 2,000 gross tonnage vessel was allowed to sail for Cagayan City from Jagna, Bohol.
All fastcrafts and small vessels from Tagbilaran and Tubigon in Bohol were grounded, Gabisan said.
The local governments in Cebu City and Mandaue City have readied their local disaster risk reduction management council so they could assess the situation and come up with quick response measures.
In Pilar town on Camotes Island, classes in the elementary level were suspended as with classes in both elementary and secondary levels on Bantayan Island.