Tuesday, October 02, 2007 Ferry runs aground in Iloilo waters
UNABLE to go through big waves of the Iloilo Strait and with zero visibility visuals because of the heavy rains, a 6:30 am Weesam vessel Sunday steered towards the area with the lowest wave bumps but ran aground on a sand bar.
The incident happened near the boundaries of Guimaras and Iloilo at 7:10 am Sunday when the vessel made its first turn.
Frank Carbon of the Weesam management reported that 68 passengers were on board and that the ship captain, a certain A. Perez, did not realize the depth of the low tide seawater until the vessel ran aground on a sand bar three to four nautical miles from Dumangas.
Carbon explained, “Strong winds added to the difficulty of steering. The zero visibility visuals apparently blew the vessel towards the lowest level until it ran aground also causing the vessel’s floorings to touch the ground.”
“While the coast guard responded immediately, it cannot pull the vessel immediately because it was low tide. Moving the vessel could damage the flooring which is more dangerous or damage the propeller which could entail more cost,” Carbon said.
Panic among the passengers ensued, prompting some of them to contact Bacolod radio stations for help or their respective families.
In a radio interview, passenger Elsie Capineg narrated, “The ship captain at the time of the incident was asleep.”
Carbon reacted, “All Weesam vessels have two navigating officers that take care of the steering wheel of the vessel. At the time of the incident, the ship’s First Mate was in charge. Perhaps passengers saw the captain sitting down and eyes closed because the situation is under control. Crewmembers are all over and on alert.”
“It’s just that the rescuers have to wait for the high tide which was 12:30 p.m.,” Carbon stressed.
Carbon further explained, “Around 2 p.m. the vessel was towed by two tug boats to the Dumangas port and was totally docked at 5:00 p.m. on the same day.”
Carbon also said that at the Dumangas port, an ambulance was waiting and buses were available to haul all passengers down to their respective places.
“Those going to far flung areas were given financial assistance. No one was hospitalized,” Carbon added.
