CEBU CITY — A cargo vessel sank past 6 a.m. on Sunday, about a kilometer away from the shoreline of Talisay City, southern Cebu, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Not one of the 22 crew members of MV Fortuner of Sam Shipping Company Inc. based in Barangay Talamban in Cebu City was hurt during the sinking, according to the incident report of the PCG.
Dionlett Ampil, commander for Cebu Station of Philippine Coast Guard, said they had yet to determine the cause of the sinking.
“We will call the ship captain and the crew to identify the reasons. We only have initial data as of now,” he said.
Fortuner, which had a gross tonnage of 1,474.32, suffered a crack at the middle of its hull about 4:30 a.m., the report said.
The report, however, didn’t indicate what caused the “crack” although it said that all the vessel’s crew members were transferred to its sister ship, MTUG 38, about 6:10 a.m., more than 20 minutes before before Fortuner finally sank.
The ship owner, Benson Go, informed the PCG about what happened to Fortuner, said Ampil.
“Immediately, this station deployed personnel and aluminum boat to verify the report. At 7:30 a.m., oil spill boom was prepared for deployment,” the report said.
Oil spill boom was set up after an oil sheen of about 25 meters in length was spotted in the area where the vessel sank. JE