PCG says damage was "Very Minimal" 2GO vessel hits anchored ship

CEBU, Philippines - Barely two months after one of its ships figured in a tragic sea collision, another 2GO vessel figured in a sea accident yesterday at the Mactan Channel near Pier 1.

Luckily this time, the damage was "very minimal", according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

At 9:45 am yesterday, 2GO's M/V Pope John Paul II, which was bound for Cagayan de Oro City, sideswiped the left side of M/V RKK II, a cargo vessel anchored at the Mactan Channel, and dented its railings. The cargo ship is owned by RKK Shipping Lines Company.

“The damage is very minimal,” said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu Station Commander Weniel Azcuna, adding that all the 742 passengers and 189 crew of the passenger ship, as well as the 19 crew of the cargo ship were safe.

Azcuna said neither of the two vessels called up the PCG to inform them about the incident. He said he only found out  about it after receiving a report at around 10:30 am, an hour after M/V Pope John Paul II departed Pier 4, from a media practitioner.

Captain Ricardo Ababa of the M/V Pope John Paul II, who later called the PCG, explained that the ship was passing through the Mactan Channel when he saw an approaching vessel, later identified as that of Cokaliong Shipping Lines.

“Along the way at the channel, naa sila'y nasugat na barko, so nag-slowdown sila and napadpad duol sa naka-anchor na barko, ang RKK, that caused the pagkasagi,” Azcuna narrated.

Yesterday's incident happened barely two months after 2GO's M/V Saint Thomas Aquinas sank off Lauis Ledge near the south entrance of the Cebu harbor after it collided with a cargo vessel, M/V Sulpicio Express Siete. The August 16 tragic sea accident left over a hundred passengers and crew of the 2GO ship dead and 21 others are still missing.

Since the damage in yesterday's accident was minimal, the M/V Pope John Paul II proceeded with its voyage to Cagayan De Oro City. Azcuna explained that in such cases, it is the ship captain's discretion to proceed with the voyage or not.

“It depends on the assessment of the captain. Kung pagtan-aw niya safe iyang barko, wala ma'y damage na na-incur that will prevent them from proceeding to their destination, then they can proceed,” he said.

But despite being a minor incident, the PCG official said the crew of the M/V Pope John Paul II, as well as the crew of RKK II, should have informed the PCG about what happened.

Nevertheless, Azcuna said there was no need for the passenger vessel management to call the immediate attention of PCG through a distress call since the incident was minor.

RKK II was about to load cement when the accident happened. RKK Shipping Lines Co is based in San Isidro, Talisay City and delivers items to any point in the country.

Azcuna said the ship captain was required to submit a Marine protest upon arrival at the port or within 24 hours since the incident was reported.

He said that just like Lauis Ledge, Mactan Cebu Channel is a restricted area that has an imaginary line for inbound and outbound vessels.

“We call it a channel because diha, restricted ang imong maneuverability mao bitaw gibutangan na og traffic separation scheme. Naa na siyay imaginary line for outbound and inbound vessel, kay kung pirte nang dakua, di nato na butangan og dalan,” the PCG official explained.

He added that the incident was not a cause for alarm. “There are factors to be considered like the weather, circumstances that beyond man's control,” he stressed.

Angelito Salvio, vice president for Operations of 2GO, in a statement, said that the shipping firm is communicating with RKK Shipping Lines regarding the extent of the damage.

“PCG Station had cleared SJP to proceed and 2GO ship management is currently communicating with the owners of the cargo vessel who is reported to have minor dents on its railings,” the 2GO statement said.

Salvio said that shortly after the incident, a tug boat was requested to move the cargo ship so that the passenger ship can continue with its voyage.

Meanwhile, Azcuna confirmed that due to bad weather caused by tropical storm “Santi,” five vessels that were scheduled to leave Cebu yesterday remained docked in port.

Azcuna said they disallowed the 10pm scheduled trip of M/V Don Carlos Sr. to Manila, which has been placed under signal number 2.

Also, four other smaller vessels in other parts of Cebu voluntarily cancelled their trips due to the rough seas.

M/V Aznar 2 docked in Toledo City cancelled its trip to San Carlos City, as well as M/V Leonor 2 and M/V Roro 1 in Dumanjug, which were en route to Dumaguete City.  A motorboat, Ave Maria 5, also did not push through with its trip from Camotes port to Leyte.

Azcuna said a new directive from the Department of Transportation and Communication was circulated last July stating that vessels coming from and headed to locations which are under a Tropical Storm signal would automatically be grounded.

In previous years, the ships' tonnage determines if it is allowed to travel in a certain storm signal. But Azcuna explained that with the new directive, all vessels are not allowed to depart from the port if its destination is under a storm signal.  — With AJ de la Torre/QSB (FREEMAN)