29 rescued as vessel sinks off Iloilo

ILOILO CITY , Philippines   â€“ Twenty-nine crewmembers of a cargo vessel were rescued after the ship sank in the waters off Iloilo yesterday morning.

The crewmembers of M/V Sportivo, which was loaded with 28,000 sacks of fertilizer, were rescued by passenger pump boats plying the Iloilo-Guimaras route.

Reports said the Sportivo dropped anchors along the Iloilo Strait to take shelter from the bad weather brought by Tropical Depression Agaton.

The vessel was supposed to sail to Palawan when it was battered by huge waves.

Ship captain Nemesio Igona said the ship was dragged away until it collided with another cargo vessel, the M/V Jehan 5, which was also anchored at the area.

Initial reports said the Sportivo sustained a hole in its hull and went under water within 15 minutes.

A few hours after the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Iloilo Station received reports of suspected oil spill in the area where the Sportivo sank.

Commodore Athelo Ybañez, PCG-Western Visayas commander, said they have yet to determine whether the oil sheen  was just waste oil or a spill from the vessel.

Ybañez said the vessel’s owner was already advised to look for a salvage company to re-float it.

The Jehan 5 was reported to have incurred minimal damage from the collision.

Aside from Sportivo and Jehan 5, four other ships were anchored at the area to seek shelter from bad weather.

Meawnhile, a fisherman swept away by a storm surge from the waters off Negros Oriental was rescued along the coastal area of Zamboanga del Norte on Saturday.

Jerry Gahonera, 39, of Siaton, Negros Oriental, was rescued after five days of drifting in the sea.

Gahonera was spotted by the villagers at about 10 a.m. clinging to a capsized pumpboat off the coast of Barangay Kauswagan in the town of Baliguian.

He was brought to the Rural Health Unit for treatment.

Gahonera told police that he and another fisherman were caught by the storm surge after they sailed off on Jan. 12.

He said he has no idea on the fate of his companion as they were separated by the storm.

Gahonera said his boat ran out of fuel and was battered by the wind and waves until it capsized.               â€“ With Roel Pareño