Coast Guard intensifies search for 7 missing passengers

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has intensified its search and rescue operations for seven more missing passengers of M/V Mercraft 3 that sank off Quezon last week.

PCG spokesman Capt. Armand Balilo said they were able to dispatch air assets as weather at the disaster site improved yesterday.

“We sent chopper and an islander plane to check the waters of Polilio and downward Quezon. We are looking for seven more,” he said.

Balilo said rescuers aboard ship and motorized bancas have also intensified their search operations due to clearer weather.

As of yesterday afternoon, none of the seven missing persons has been found.

The PCG said a total of 258 people were on the manifest of Mercraft when it sank between Quezon and Polilio Island on Dec. 21. There were reportedly five casualties and 246 survivors, leaving seven passengers missing.

The vessel, owned by Mercraft Shipping Lines Corp. left Ungos Port and was only five nautical miles away from its destination Polilio Island when it sank.

Balilo said the PCG is prioritizing the SAR operations before proceeding with the investigation on the cause of the sinking.

The 206-ton M/V Mercraft had been given the green light to sail as Tropical Storm Vinta bore down on Mindanao nearly a thousand kilometers away, as there were no storm alerts in the area, the PCG said.

A survivor told local radio that the ferry was forced to stop at sea due to large waves and strong winds before it started taking in water from the bow and tipped over.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said five people were confirmed dead in the sea mishap. The PCG, however, said the figures on fatalities and survivors need to be revalidated. Balilo cited various information received by their station in Real, Quezon, including the possibility that the incident was caused by Storm Vinta and that a floating object might have hit the Mercraft that damaged the ship and caused it sink.

Balilo also cited accounts that a boat approached the fastcraft MV Mercraft 3 when it was already en route to Polilio Island. Passengers from the boat, who were not included in the passenger manifest, allegedly boarded the ferry.

There were also reports that while the vessel was not initially overloaded, it may have gone to another port to pick up passengers, he said.

Balilo added the possibility that heavy cargo loaded onboard might have shifted, causing the ferry to list and sink. But he explained PCG personnel in Real would not have allowed the ship to sail if it exceeded the ship’s load line.

He pointed out the PCG even delayed the departure of the ferry because of rough seas. It was only allowed to sail when the waters calmed down.

President Duterte had ordered all concerned agencies to initiate a probe into the sea mishap involving Mercraft.

“We want this latest incident of sea mishap be investigated as quickly as possible so we can immediately implement safety nets and preventive measures. Ensuring the safety and security of travellers must be our priority,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Tugade directed the Maritime Industry Authority and the PCG to conduct the probe.