PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) personnel rescued 14 crewmembers of a cargo vessel that ran aground off Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro last Sunday night.
PCG communications officer Joy Gumatay said the vessel, MV Manfel V, was on its way to Bauan town in Batangas, from Subic, Zambales when it figured in the mishap.
Gumatay said the vessel encountered engine trouble at around 9 a.m. last Sunday off Fortune Island in Batangas.
“The distressed cargo vessel drifted towards Lubang and ran aground when it reached the vicinity waters approximately 110 meters from the shoreline of Barangay Maligaya,” said Gumatay.
The PCG Station in Occidental Mindoro dispatched assets and personnel after receiving information about the distressed vessel, skippered by Radie Brillante and operated by Manfel Cargo Shipping based in Taguig City.
“The 14 crew members onboard were rescued and brought to the MDRRMO (municipal disaster risk reduction and management office) to check their health and conduct antigen tests,” said Gumatay.
Gumatay said the 14 were later found to be “in good physical condition.”
She said the 14 were later brought to the Coast Guard Sub-Station Luban “for further inquiry regarding the maritime incident.”
Gumatay said the PCG is monitoring the cargo vessel “to check for any signs of oil spillage and assess possible damages to the marine environment.”
The PCG dispatched vessels and aircraft to help locate a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel with six crewmembers that was reported missing 414 nautical miles northwest of Palau last February 17.
The PCG Command Center directed PCG districts in Eastern Visayas, Bicol, southeastern Mindanao, northeastern Mindanao, and northeastern Luzon to launch the search and rescue operations.
Gumatay said the PCG joined the search after they received a request for assistance from the Taiwan Coast Guard Attache, Commander Arthur Yang.
