Eight crew members were rescued from a half-submerged tugboat and barge, which contains black sand and boulders, off the waters of Laoang, Northern Samar, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Monday, Sept. 13.
In an incident report, the PCG said the tugboat MTUG Kurt Matthew encountered huge waves and strong winds that dragged its anchor off Laoang River, Barangay Tumaguingting, Laoang, Northern Samar on Saturday, Sept. 11.
The Coast Guard said it led the barge Skipton, with a loaded cargo of 500 metric tons of black sand and 1.5 metric tons of boulders, to drift towards a shallow part of the river. The distressed tugboat and barge immediately became half-submerge after the incident, the PCG added.
Upon receiving the information, the Coast Guard deployed a search and rescue team to render necessary assistance.
The rescue team also found no sign of an oil spill during the ocular inspection in the said vicinity waters.
The Coast Guard advised the captain of the vessel to file a marine protest to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
No crew members were injured during the incident.