1 killed as marooned tugboat capsizes off Batangas

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MANILA, Philippines–Battered by huge waves, a tugboat capsized on Sunday morning off the coast of Calatagan, Batangas, killing one of its six crew members, according to the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters in Manila.

Citing a report of its detachment in Calatagan, the PCG on Monday said the MT Phil. Pasig was hit by huge waves after it ran aground some 400 meters away from the shoreline of the west Batangas town.

The ill-fated vessel was originally bound for the Mabini anchorage, also in Batangas.

“At around 5:20 a.m., another tugboat, the MT Alphard, arrived at the area to conduct salvage operations on the grounded tugboat. However, as the MT Phil. Pasig was being towed, it suddenly capsized due to the big waves, trapping the six crew members on board,” said the PCG public affairs office.

With some help from a PCG search-and-rescue team from the Calatagan detachment, five crewmen of the tugboat “eventually managed to escape from the capsized vessel,” it added.

Both the MT Phil. Pasig and MT Alphard belong to Harbor Star Shipping Services, Inc.