AFP rescues distressed Malaysian-owned barge

MANILA, Philippines - Troops from the Armed Forces Western Command (WESCOM) have rescued a distressed Malaysian-owned barge off West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) waters.

WESCOM spokesperson 1Lt. Cherryl Tindog said local Coast Guard officials alerted them about a missing civilian barge and tugboat early morning of Thursday.

Succeeding reports revealed that an abandoned barge was sighted by a fishing vessel at about five nautical miles east of Hasa-Hasa Shoal. The barge was identified as Malaysian-owned “Hub 18” and contained about a hundred container vans.

Tindog said WESCOM had immediately alerted its units for possible search and rescue mission and dispatched Navy Islander 314 to conduct aerial search.

The islander then sighted the missing barge 15 nautical miles southwest off Abad Santos Shoal drifting towards the northeast.

Navy ship BRP Bacolod City then scoured the barge, which is now anchored at Ulugan Bay.

Philippine authorities coordinated with the barge’s Malaysian owner, who later on revealed that the crew members of the barge were rescued by a Vietnamese boat on June 22.

“The owner (said) a tugboat will be sent to tow the barge back to Malaysia,” Tindog said.

Citing information from the Navy’s international liaison officer in Singapore, Tindog said the container vans aboard the barge contained used cars, spares, frozen fish and personal effects.

“The owner declared that there were no dangerous items among the cargoes,” she said.

Tindog said WESCOM would continue to collaborate with other agencies to ensure that lives and properties are secured during emergency situations.