Thursday, January 03, 2008
Engine trouble mars post-holiday voyage
ROBLE Shipping Inc. sent the newest and largest boat in their fleet, the MV Wonderful Stars, to rescue one of hits other vessels, which ran into engine trouble off the coast of Camotes.
A shipping company official said the MV Heavenly Stars, a twin-engine craft, could have made it to the Port of Cebu because only one of its two diesel engines had problems, but management opted not to force the issue.
The incident happened in the midst of a busy time for inter-island transport, as holidaymakers return to the city after the long New Year’s weekend.
“We were ready to send the ship within an hour after receiving word from Heavenly Stars but we got delayed because the Coast Guard wanted to come on board,” the official said.
Jose Emery “Joy” Roble, vice president of Roble Shipping, said the company did what it could to make the situation cause the least hassle possible for the passengers.
Roble sent food and water to the 930 passengers who were stranded when mv Heavenly Stars stopped sailing 30 minutes after it left Ormoc City.
The original rescue plan was for the captain of mv Heavenly Stars to look for fuel and use the auxiliary engine to bring the vessel back to Ormoc City, where the passengers would be picked up and ferried to Cebu by mv Wonderful Stars.
However, Roble said that as of 6:30 last night, mv Heavenly Stars was already sailing towards Cebu City and mv Wonderful Stars would just escort it.
“I apologize to the affected passengers. Of course, we don’t want this to happen. That’s why we immediately brought to them a rescue vessel with food and water,” Roble said.
Once mv Heavenly Stars arrives in Cebu, the company will look at what caused the fuel contamination, he added.
The mv Wonderful Stars is the latest acquisition for Roble Shipping and was inaugurated only last December. (EOB/KNR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 3, 2007 issue)
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