Ship runs aground, all aboard are safe

CEBU, Philippines - All 183 passengers and crew of a vessel that ran aground due to a problem with its steering last Saturday night in the seawaters of Looc, Dumaguete City were rescued.

MV Super Shuttle Ferry 18, owned by the Asian Marine Transport Corporation based in Cebu City carrying 156 passengers and 27 crew members, ran aground some 100 meters away from the port of Dumaguete City.

Reden Pimentel, Petty Officer 2nd class of the Coast Guard Station in Dumaguete, told The FREEMAN that the ship stopped moving because the ship’s captain, Capt. Rene Mallen, lost control of the steering wheel that suddenly malfunctioned. This is called ‘steering casualty’ in marine terms.

Pimentel said they are still waiting for the marine protest to be submitted by Mallen to determine what caused the steering casualty.

He said that the ship departed the Dumaguete City port at 6 p.m. and was expected to arrive at Dapitan City in Zamboanga Del Norte at 10 p.m. was still conducting undocking maneuver when the steering wheel malfunctioned and disabled the ship at 6:45 p.m.

The people on board nevertheless did not panic and there was fine weather.

All passengers were brought back to the port by 3 a.m. yesterday by a single motor boat that had to move to and fro the port area four times.

The passengers continued with their voyage as some boarded MV Siara Joie of the Alison Shipping Lines based in Zamboanga City, which departed at 4 a.m. while some rode on MV Maria Elena of Montenegro Shipping Lines based in Batangas and MV Zamboanga Ferry Shipping Lines of George and Peters Shipping Lines based in Cebu City which both departed at 6 a.m.

The vessel, with 695 a gross tonnage and a 350-passenger capacity, is still at the agrounding area as of yesterday afternoon, Pimentel said.

He said that after receiving Mallen’s marine protest, they will submit it to the Special Board of Marine Inquiry in Cebu City which will conduct a hearing on the matter to determine if the incident was just an accident or due to carelessness of the vessel’s management. — Niña G. Sumacot/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)