BOLINAO, Pangasinan, Philippines — A foreign cargo vessel carrying 60,000 bags of rice to be delivered to a port in San Fernando, La Union has been stranded in the coastal waters here since Saturday.
Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Maritime Police, town police, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bantay Dagat and the municipal government inspected MV Honour on Monday.
The ship, which came from Vietnam, reportedly encountered a mechanical problem.
“We were anxious about its presence as there have been reports of foreign ships... siphoning black sand in Lingayen Gulf,” Bolinao Mayor Arnold Celeste said.
The boat captain, Zhau Quon, a Chinese citizen, welcomed the inspection and presented their documents. The vessel has 15 crewmembers – five Chinese, six from Myanmar, three Vietnamese and two Indonesians.