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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Ferry runs aground with PB member on board
By Garry Cabotaje
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
PROVINCIAL Board (PB) Member Juan Bolo yesterday called on the Coast Guard (CG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) 7 to investigate the possible negligence of the ship crew of mv Yellow Rose, which ran aground off Nalusuan Island Tuesday night.
Bolo believed that the ship captain allowed a novice crewmember to maneuver the vessel, resulting in the sea mishap.
“I already drafted a resolution and this will be tackled during our special session on Tuesday,” he said.
Unconfirmed reports said some of the crew were drunk, prompting the Marina 7 to subject them to a liquor test, the Cebu CG said.
Bolo, committee chairman on education, was among more than 100 passengers of mv Yellow Rose when it ran aground at 11:30 p.m. a nautical mile off Nalusuan Island, a fish sanctuary.
Late rescue
The mv Yellow Rose, a passenger ship of Rose Shipping, left Talibon, Bohol at 9 p.m. and was supposed to dock at Pier 3 at midnight.
Bolo said he and some passengers got impatient because the rescue efforts of the Cebu CG began late.
Luckily, no one was hurt as the sea was calm and the weather was fine when the accident happened. But majority of the passengers had no sleep till early morning yesterday.
Petty Officer Virgilio Torreon of Cebu CG said they were the ones who tried to establish radio contact with mv Yellow Rose after a certain Mark Anthony Laos informed them about the accident around 12:30 a.m.
Laos’ father was on board the vessel, he said.
After contacting the ship’s crew, Torreon said they learned that the vessel was waiting for high tide around 2 or 3 a.m. so it could sail from the area.
Failed efforts
The crew’s efforts, however, failed, prompting the CG and Philippine Navy to send rescue vessels around 5 a.m., Torreon said.
Aside from the CG’s rubber boat and Navy vessel’s DF 338, two motorboats hired by the shipping firm helped in the rescue operations.
For his part, Bolo said he and other passengers were able to get a ride aboard a boat owned by the Mendoza family from Nalusuan Island to Barangay Marigondon in Lapu-Lapu City around 8 a.m.
Torreon said the rescue operations were completed past 10 a.m. but the passenger ship remained stuck on the reef off Nalusuan.
(December 30, 2004 issue)
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