PCG ATTEMPTS TO EXTRACT 2 BARGES FOR SECOND TIME

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will undertake a second extraction of the two barges that ran aground off Opol, Misamis Oriental, on January 15 after the first attempt failed due to low tide and poor visibility.

Barge SB 1002 and Barge Waling Waling ran aground off the village of Taboc in the town of Opol around 3:50 p.m. last Monday.

The PCG said that based on the investigation, the two barges were dragged into the area due to strong winds and big waves.

Barge SB 1002 was dragged approximately 10 meters from the shoreline while Barge Waling Waling was hauled by the waves 250 meters away from the coast.

MTUG Gabay attempted to attach a towing line to the barges but failed due to low tide and poor visibility.

Because of this predicament, the team temporarily suspended the towing operation to prevent damage to the tugboat and avoid casualty.

Last Wednesday, a team of personnel from the Maritime Safety Service Command Northern Mindanao, the Marine Environmental Protection Force Northern Mindanao, and the Coast Guard Station Misamis Oriental conducted a coordinated assessment meeting regarding the aground barges.

The composite team agreed to conduct underwater hull inspections on the barges prior to the resumption of the towing operation.

The Vessel Safety Service Unit advised the representative of the shipping company to secure a special permit to navigate to drydock at the nearest possible shipyard if the barges were successfully extracted from the grounding site.

Moreover, the commander of Coast Guard Station Misamis Oriental coordinated with the shipping owner through phone calls regarding their intention to remove the barges from the area immediately to prevent possible hazards to the marine environment.