(UPDATED)

A Philippine-flagged tugboat and a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship collided off Sarangani province early Tuesday morning, March 25, killing two individuals.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said M/Tug Sadong 33 and MV Universe Kiza collided around 4:20 a.m. in the vicinity waters of Maasim town.

Lt. Junior Grade Gideon Dulnuan, public affairs officer of the Coast Guard District Southern Mindanao, identified the fatalities as Andres Diaz Jr., 50, captain of the tugboat; and Jan Jeter Labor, 31, an oiler.

“According to the company’s project engineer who reported the incident, M/Tug Sadong 33 had eight crew on board. As of 8 a.m., the Coast Guard SAR team reported that six of the eight crew have been rescued and are now in good physical condition,” Dulnuan said.

In a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, Dulnuan said M/Tug Sadong 33 was towing another vessel, LCT Sea Asia, a landing craft tank, when it was bumped by MV Universe Kiza. 

The tugboat came from Glan, Sarangani en route to Iligan City, while the foreign cargo vessel was en route to Makar Port in General Santos City.

"The foreign vessel was delivering cement from Vietnam. Unfortunately, it passed in between the tugboat and the LCT that it was towing. It hit the towing line which eventually snapped and probably caused the capsizing of the tugboat," Dulnuan said over the phone.

The PCG said the collision did not result in an oil spill incident based on a thorough assessment.

Dulnuan said the PCG has taken custody of the 20 foreign crew members of MV Universe Kiza for a follow-up investigation. The cargo vessel was brought to General Santos City where it anchored for inspection.

"The Coast Guard Station General Santos City has issued a notice of detention to their vessel. A maritime casualty investigation will be conducted. We will get the statements of the crew of the foreign vessel," he said.

"We will do our best to investigate this incident. Hopefully, the result will be a guide to other mariners in the future to prevent further incidents," he added.

The probe is expected to last one week.

"We'll also be giving a notice to mariners to share the coordinates of the accident site so they can avoid it. Right now, it's very hazardous for passage because the capsized tugboat is still there," Dulnuan said.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the tugboat captain and oiler were brought to a funeral home in Sarangani.