16 Pinoys presumed dead in Norway mishap

Authorities notified yesterday relatives of 16 Filipino seamen lost at sea after Monday’s cargo ship disaster off Norway that rescuers had called off the search for them, and that they have been presumed dead.

The following Filipino seamen are missing or presumed dead:

Christopher A. Alday, 30; Arnold Bactindon, 28; Raynaldo S. Calma, 57; Marife A. Cave, 30; Abelardo L. Cortada, 46;

Pepito A. Delgado, 45; Romulus Dingcong, 40; Israel P. Gaga-Anan, 26; Sieje C. Gamez, 27;

Jerome C. Guiuo, 26; Gil E. Juaton, 47; Christopher Y. Marques, 26; Carlito S. Nicdao 53; Marlon D. Reluao, 41; Magno D. Sartario Jr., 41, and Cesar S. Villian Jr., 41.

Jan Aksel Juvik, 56, Norwegian, captain of the 166-meter cargo ship MS Rocknes, and another crewman, German Hans Buntz, 51, are also missing and presumed dead.

"The Welfare and Employment Office of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will do all it can to coordinate with the ship’s agents to ensure that the necessary assistance is extended to the seafarers and their families," said Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas.

Administrator Virgilio Angelo of the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration said four other Filipino seamen — Charlie Gallano, Antonio Onlang Jr. Arnel Florendo, and Barlito Madrid Sr. — have already been discharged from a hospital in Bergen, Norway.

Four others — Mariano Soloren, Ruben Gonzalez, Hubert Maginsay, and Godofredo Grecia — are still confined at the Haukeland University Hospital, he said.

Of the 24 Filipinos aboard the Rocknes, 16 were reported as missing, said Aboitiz-Jebsen, the manning agency in Manila.

"Jebsen management has offered to send to Bergen (where the rescue effort was coordinated), two members each of the families of the missing crew members," the company said in a statement.

"A crew family assistance center has been set up, while emergency financial assistance has been given to the families of the crewmembers."

Julia Heidemann, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman, said the Norwegian embassy has agreed to waive the visa requirements for the family of the seamen for humanitarian reasons.

The seamen’s insurance provider has assured that the beneficiaries will be compensated in full, and that medical expenses for those undergoing medical treatment will continue to be shouldered by the company, she added.

Dolores Crisostomo, head of the POEA’s assistance and welfare division, said the government would assist in the repatriation of the remains, and provide assistance to the relatives, as well as help them claim death benefits and insurance.

Eight others, who were rescued, would be repatriated as soon as they are declared fit to travel, she added.

In Norway, rescue leader Trygve Sveen told The Associated Press that he doubted any survivors would be found inside the overturned ship.

"The rescue is called off," he said. "There is no hope of finding survivors in the water, but we can’t know because we have not been inside."

The last three survivors were pulled through a hole cut in the ship’s bottom Monday night after being trapped for seven hours.

Rescuers had communicated by passing notes to those trapped inside, and one Filipino crewman pleaded for urgent action.

On a scrap of battered paper, he had written in large blue letters, "Ok. But pls make fast," adding that his shipmates were "dieing."

As the hours passed, "the notes got more and more dramatic," said Leif Linde of the Bergen Fire Department. "In the end, we just had to cut through the hull," he said.

The freighter capsized in a narrow inlet between the island of Bjoroey and Norway’s western coast, less than 200 meters from land after it put out a distress call.

Apart from the 24 Filipinos, the Rocknes crew included three Dutch, two Norwegians and one German.

The ship, which was loaded with rock and headed for Emden, Germany, capsized in calm weather.

The cause of the accident was unknown, but surviving crewmen told the Bergens Tidende newspaper’s Internet edition that the ship had hit bottom or a shoal shortly before capsizing, possibly damaging the hull. — Marvin Sy, Mayen Jaymalin, AFP