A fire broke out aboard a passenger ship carrying 67 individuals at the Port of Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday morning, April 9.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said MV Roro Master 2 was in the process of loading passengers and cargo for its scheduled voyage to Batangas when a fire suddenly ignited in the deck generator area of the vessel located at the fantail section of the vessel around 9 a.m.
The PCG immediately deployed personnel from Coast Guard Sub-Station Abra de Ilog when it got wind of the incident.
“The ship's officers and crew, in coordination with the vessel's damage control team, promptly initiated onboard firefighting measures to contain and extinguish the fire,” the PCG said.
The responding PCG team also secured additional fire extinguishers in coordination with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) that helped to put the fire out.
With the quick response of the responders, 34 crew members and 33 passengers were rescued from the burning vessel.
Authorities also saved 21 rolling cargoes onboard the ship.
The fire was declared out at 9:20 a.m. by the vessel’s damage control officer.
“No injuries or casualties were reported during the incident,” the PCG said.
An investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of fire.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Station Occidental Mindoro coordinated with the Maritime Industry Authority in Calabarzon (Marina IV-A) to recommend the temporary suspension of the vessel’s documents pending the results of a comprehensive safety inspection.
The PCG said the inspection would determine the passenger ship’s seaworthiness.