Cargo vessel bumps ferry
MV Lite Ferry 20, a ship with 54 passengers, was maneuvering through the waters of Lauis Ledge off Talisay City yesterday afternoon when its captain, Dominique Carmona, suddenly felt some vibrations from the ship’s astern (back) section.
Upon checking, the official found out that LCT Seamine 8, a cargo vessel bound for the City of Naga in Cebu, had hit MV Lite Ferry’s sundeck, a part of a ship’s back portion usually exposed to the sun.
PCG Cebu received the alarm at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.
Senior Police Officer 2 Romualdo Torregosa, one of the ship’s passengers, said in an interview over dyAB radio station that some of the passengers panicked after hearing a loud thud from the boat’s back.
Photos provided by Torregosa showed some of the boat’s railings curved because of the impact. A portion of the back canopy also collapsed.
The passenger vessel was enroute to Tubigon, Bohol.
Carmona told officials of the Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Station that he immediately called the attention of the cargo vessel through a VHF radio, informing its captain that the passenger ship incurred some damages from the impact.
After the incident, the two vessels went on their ways and arrived at their respective ports of destination. No one was reported injured.
Even then, authorities would still launch an investigation into the incident.
According to ASN John Romel Austia, member of PCG Cebu operation team, the captains of the two vessels have been directed to submit their respective marine protests following the mishap.
A marine protest is a document narrating the series of events that led to the incident.
In a separate interview, MARINA-7 Director Jose Venancio Vero Jr. told The FREEMAN that his office will look into the case.
MV Lite Ferry 20, which is still docked at the port of Tubigon, will not be allowed to travel pending further inspection.
“Based on our initial inspection, naa gyud siyay damage. But just to make sure it’s safe to travel, I asked the Coast Guard nga di lang sa pa biyaheon kay inspection-non pa ugma to assess the damages,” Vero said.
LCT Seamine 8, which is presently on anchorage at the Naga port, is also barred from leaving the area unless a marine protest is filed and the vessel duly inspected.
As of 7 p.m. yesterday, the captains have not yet submitted their marine protests.
Lawis Ledge, a narrow passage located near the south entrance to the Cebu harbor, is notorious for hosting several sea mishaps. The most recent one was the collision of passenger ship MV St. Thomas Aquinas of 2GO and cargo vessel Sulpicio Express Siete on August 16, 2013 that left at least 80 people dead and 51 others missing.