Cargo ship runs aground, all 21 crew members safe

CEBU – A cargo vessel carrying 20,000 bags of cement from Cebu to Jagna, Bohol, was stranded in the islet of Puntod, Panglao Island, Bohol, reportedly after it was hit by strong winds and waves early morning last Thursday.

PO1 Eduardo Bulalaque of the Tagbilaran Police said cargo vessel Padre Pio was forced to seek shelter at the islet around 2 a.m. last Thursday.

While reports said bad weather caused the vessel to run aground, Bulalaque said no official report as to the real cause was filed just yet.

The ship captain, Hernando Patricio, and the 21 crew members are now out of harm after residents of the area and the Coast Guard ferried them off the ship.

“Wala pa jud mi kahibawo sa cause sa pagka-stranded,” Bulalaque told The FREEMAN in a phone interview, adding that the Coast Guard has been sent to the area to secure it until the vessel’s operator take any action.

The Padre Pio has weight tonnage of 127 gross tons and is owned by Medallion Shipping.   — Joy Kareen T. Saliente with Ric Obedencia (Bohol Correspondent)/JMO (THE FREEMAN)