Ship marooned off Dumaguete to be retrieved—owners

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines—The owners of MV Ever Transport III, which capsized off the coast of Dumaguete City a week before Christmas, said they would retrieve their marooned vessel as soon as they sign a contract with a salvor, a Philippine Coast Guard official said Wednesday.

Lieutenant Commander Agapito Bibat, commander of the Dumaguete Coast Guard Station, said he was informed by Zamboanga-based Kheri Shipping Lines on Tuesday that they had contracted Steel Ray Salvaging Services to refloat the boat, which capsized off Barangay (village) Calindagan on Dec. 17, 2011.

Kheri Shipping Lines had informed him the retrieval operation would be conducted as soon as they finalize the deal with the salvage operator.

The MV Ever Transport III, skippered by Captain Romeo Cuevas, ran aground and capsized after it was battered by big waves spawned by Tropical Storm “Sendong” last December 17 while the vessel was moored off Dumaguete port.

Various rescue teams who responded to the ship’s distress call had rescued 23 crew members and nine members of the crew’s families, including a two-year-old boy.

Bibat made the announcement after City Administrator William Ablong expressed fears about environmental damage along the Dumaguete coastline resulting from a possible oil spill.

The coast guard official assured the public that the oil and fuel on board the ill-fated vessel had already been removed by another ship belonging to the Uni-Orient Pearl Ventures Inc. last December 29.