CEBU CITY – Two-hundred passengers were rescued from a passenger vessel that ran aground off Madridejos, Cebu on Monday, October 23.
PASSENGERS of M/V Filipinas Butuan transfer to motor bancas after their ship ran aground off Madridejos, Cebu en route to Iloilo City on Monday morning, October 23. (PCG-7).
M/V Filipinas Butuan of Cokaliong Shipping Lines sailed for Iloilo City from the Port of Cebu past 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 22.
The vessel was supposed to arrive in Iloilo at around 8 a.m. on Monday.
The Philippine Coast Guard-Central Visayas (PCG-7) said 250 passengers and 37 crew members were on board the vessel.
The PCG-7 said that according to the ship captain, the vessel tried to avoid a fish cage but ended up running aground in a shallow portion of the sea.
At least three motor bancas and Bantay Dagat responders transported the passengers to the shore.
All passengers were safely evacuated at around 11 a.m., said PCG-7.
The Maritime Industry Authority-Central Visayas (Marina-7) has already ordered the suspension of the passenger ship safety certificate (PSSC) of the ill-fated vessel.
In a letter to Chester Cokaliong, president of Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Engr. Emmanuel Carpio, regional director of Marina-7, said that the vessel’s PSSC will only be restored “after a satisfactory result of Marina survey/inspection and/or evaluation of all available data surrounding the incident.”