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Sunday, December 31, 2006
Ship returns to port after 3-hour scare
CEBU CITY -- Some 900 Leyte-bound passengers were stranded for over three hours at sea after an inter-island ferry got stalled in the seawaters off Cebu early Saturday dawn.
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They all heaved a sigh of relief when the crew of mv Heaven Star of Roble Shipping Lines, skippered by Rodolfo Saavedra, decided to return to Pier 2 in Cebu City.
Most of the passengers got worried that the malfunctioning 1,597-gross ton ship would not be able to reach Ormoc City, its port of destination.
Saturday's bad weather, brought about by a diffused tail-end of a cold front, also forced an Aboitiz-owned fast craft, to cancel its trip minutes after it sailed out to sea for Ormoc City.
No advisory
"We have not received any advisory from Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration). The weather is just bad. Big waves forced the fast craft to return port," said CG Officer Richard Villafuerte.
Carrying 998 passengers, the mv Heaven Star encountered engine trouble barely an hour after it left Pier 2 of Cebu City 10 p.m. Friday, the Cebu Coast Guard (CG) said.
Its main engine conked out past 11 p.m., some 10 to 15 nautical miles off Danao City point, it said.
Among those onboard the ship was the family of Sun.Star Cebu newsroom librarian Vilma Pansoy-Dumoran, who sought the CG's assistance upon learning of the mechanical problem past 2 a.m.
"We're worried because there was no proper announcement from the ship captain. We just learned it from our co-passengers," said Vilma whose husband Nefran, 34, and their one-year-old baby Asher were supposed to spend the New Year in San Isidro, Leyte.
Vilma contacted both the Cebu CG station at Pier 3 and the ship owner, informing them that majority of the passengers wanted to return to Cebu City.
Compartment leak
The passengers were anxious about their safety as rain started to pour past 2 p.m. while the vessel remained stagnant in dark rough waters, she said.
For his part, Nefran learned from the ship information officer that the diesel fuel in the main engine took in seawater coming from the leak of its liquid compartment, causing the engine to conk out.
The crew had to plug the leak to stop the seepage and also drain or filter the mixed seawater from the diesel fuel, he said.
"With that situation, I don't think we would reach Ormoc because the liquid compartment serves as the engine's cooling system," Nefran, an electronic computer engineer, said.
The passengers again got more restless when Saavedra declared that they would resume the trip to Ormoc. This after the crew revved-up the engine and made a test-run.
Minutes later, Saavedra changed his mind and announced that they would return to Cebu City.
The mv Heaven Star finally docked at Pier 2 at 5:28 a.m.
Although tired from lack of sleep, the Dumoran couple was happy to arrive safely in their Consolacion home, where they will be spending the New Year. (GC of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (December 31, 2006 issue)
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