Sea travel resumes after ‘Crising’ left

CEBU, Philippines - Coast Guard Station Cebu Commander Dionilett Ampil yesterday said sea travel has been allowed again in time for people returning from the Holy Week break in all ports of Cebu since Saturday night.

This was after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration lifted the storm signal warning for tropical depression Crising.

Northern Cebu was placed under Storm Signal Number One, which caused the automatic cancellation of sea trips, at 8 a.m. last Saturday, leaving several passengers returning to their respective hometowns stranded.

"Wala na tayong cancelled trips o di kaya stranded passengers na natala. May iba na-delayed pero continuous na ang operation ng lahat ng passenger and cargo vessels ngayon papunta sa kanilang destinasyon," he told THE FREEMAN in a telephone interview yesterday.

Crising weakened to just a low pressure area after making landfall in Samar Island, was downgraded to a Low Pressure Area at 8 p.m. last Saturday, making it safer for vessels to venture again into the seas.

Ampil said they are expecting an influx of inbound passengers returning to work after the long break.

He said that during the Holy Week, only minor maritime incidents, such as vessels conking out or running aground, were reported. He also said that no casualty was reported during the entire week due to rough seas caused by Crising.

Despite this, he said, they remained on full alert due to the threat of terrorist groups penetrating the Visayas region.

He advised passengers to stay vigilant and be wary of suspicious groups and immediately report to authorities if they notice any. —/ RHM (FREEMAN)