Cebu sea collision casualty count rises to 75

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from the sunken ferry M/V St. Thomas Aquinas reached 75 after the remains of a victim washed ashore and divers recovered three more bodies from the wreckage, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported yesterday.

The ferry sank after it collided with the cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Express 7 on Aug. 16 off Cordova, Cebu.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said divers found the bodies of two adults and one infant in the shipwreck while the decomposing upper body of a person was washed ashore in Barangay Bangbang in Cordova.

The bodies were not immediately identified.

Balilo said the latest development brought to 75 the fatalities of the sea mishap.

Out of the 870 passengers and crew on board the vessel, 45 remained missing while there were 750 survivors.

Technical diver Alex Santos of the Philippine Technical (PhilTech) Divers said he expects to recover more bodies at the dining area of the St. Thomas Aquinas.

He said when the ferry sank at around 9 p.m. many of its passengers were reportedly at the dining area.

Santos said that most of the bodies so far recovered from the wreckage of the 11,405-gross ton ferry were found on the A Deck where the cabins, storage areas, and dining room were located.

The St. Thomas Aquinas collided with the Sulpicio Express 7 at around 8:45 p.m. at the narrow Lawis Ledge off Cordova.

The vessel sank some 108 feet below sea level.

The passenger ship came from Butuan and was headed to Cebu while the cargo ship was departing Cebu and proceeding to Davao when the incident happened.

PCG said at the time it was assumed that many of the passengers might have been having dinner at the mess hall and some might have been on the A Deck to pass the time before going to sleep.

He said that the A Deck is located a floor lower than the navigational deck.

Technical divers and volunteer divers have been assisting divers from the PCG and Philippine Navy in the recovery operations.

Santos said that from Sunday to Wednesday, bad weather had hampered their operations and they have only searched 10 to 15 percent of the ship.

“Since it was a big ship, we deployed a search team in every part of the wreck where the entrances were located and in strategic areas where we suspect there might be victims,” Santos said.

Apart from the bad weather condition, he added that floating debris like furniture and luggage have made it more difficult for the divers to maneuver inside the wreck.

Balilo also said that divers hired by the St. Thomas Aquinas’ owner 2Go Travel and the PCG Marine Environment Protection Unit (MEPU) personnel have plugged one of the sources of oil leak from the submerged vessel.

The PCG plans to deploy oil spill booms around the wreckage or to use oil dispersants to contain the spill.

At the time of the incident, the passenger and cargo ship was carrying 120,000 liters of bunker fuel, 20,000 liters of lube oil and 20,000 liters of diesel.

The PCG would soon be forming the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) to gather the facts on the incident and the investigative body would also come up with recommendations to prevent a similar incident from happening.

The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) would conduct a separate investigation to determine the criminal liability and find out if the certificate of public convenience (CPCs) and franchise of the concerned ship owners would be revoked.

 Commodore William Melad, PCG Central Visayas chief, said that the ship owners have assured authorities that the skippers of the St. Thomas Aquinas and the Sulpicio Express 7 would cooperate in the investigation and would be made available anytime.

Melad said the officials of the 2Go Group and Philippine Span Asia Corp. would be held liable if the skippers fail to appear before the BMI.

There were concerns why the PCG did not take into custody the two skippers.

 Melad explained that after the accident last Friday, the captain of the St. Thomas Aquinas was placed under their custody but the PCG agreed to transfer him to the shipping company.

He stressed though that whoever is found to be at fault will face criminal charges.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday reported that the owners of the two ships involved in the Cebu collision violated labor standards and safety regulations.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said initial investigation conducted by the DOLE-Central Visayas Regional Office showed that St. Thomas Aquinas and the Sulpicio Express 7 have no safety committee or safety officers.

Baldoz said ships are required to have a safety committee or safety officers that would ensure the safety and health of seafarers and passengers.

But Baldoz said they have yet to ascertain the extent of the non-compliance with labor standards and occupational health and safety of the ship owners. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Jaime Laude, Ben Serrano, AJ dela Torre/Freeman