THE Hagnaya Port in San Remigio, Cebu is operational except for a portion destroyed by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30, the Coast Guard said Monday, October 6.
In an interview, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jay-R Alguisano, commander of the Coast Guard Station Northern Cebu, said ferries to Bantayan Island, Malapascua Island, and other routes are functioning.
“Port operations continue with no passengers or cargoes stranded. However, the seawater floods the port at high tide following additional damage to the initially affected area due to a magnitude 4.5 aftershock (over the weekend),” he said.
Alguisano noted that flooding occurred only after the aftershock, even though that part of the port had fractured during the initial tremor.
He said water now reaches 1.4 meters at high tide and overflows onto the port, which was not the case before the earthquake.
The affected portion is off limits to all vessels due to its “weak structural integrity.”
The Coast Guard is working with the Philippine Ports Authority in Hagnaya to reassess the port.
Alguisano assured that authorities are keeping a close watch on the port to ensure passenger safety. (PNA)