Three Filipino fishermen died when an unidentified foreign vessel accidentally struck their boat off Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) revealed Wednesday, Oct. 4.
Filipino fishing boat (FFB) “Dearyn” was moored to its payaw located approximately 85 nautical miles northwest off Bajo de Masinloc or 180 nautical miles from Agno, Pangasinan when it was rammed by a commercial vessel around 4:20 a.m. last Oct. 2, according to PCG.
The boat captain and two crew members of FFB Dearyn died due to the incident while 11 other crew members survived.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea, identified the fatalities as Decter Laudencia, boat captain; and crew members Romeo Mejeco, 38, and Benedict Olandria, 62. All three were residents of Brgy. Calapandayan, Subic, Zambales.
The PCG said it conducted a thorough check on the marine traffic to identify the foreign vessel by cross-referencing the survivors' accounts with the date and time of the incident.
It said that one vessel matched the description of the survivors - Pacific Anna, a crude oil tanker vessel registered under the flag of Marshall Islands.
Citing a survivor's account, the PCG said that the boat captain and five of its crew members were onboard FFB Dearyn while eight others were engaged in fishing ventures at different locations near Bajo de Masinloc when the incident occurred.
"Due to the adverse weather conditions causing darkeness, the crew on board the mother boat failed to detect an unidentified vessel approaching, resulting in a collision that caused the mother boat to capsize," Balilo said in a statement.
The bodies of the fatalities were recovered inside the boat's pilot house by the crew members of FFB Dearyn around 8 a.m. on Oct. 2.
The 11 surviving crew members transported the bodies of their comrades to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan using their service boats. They arrived around 10 a.m. on Oct. 3 and reported the incident to PCG Sub-Station Infanta.
Meanwhile, the PCG said it will reach out to the crew of Pacific Anna and its next port of destination for an investigation.