A PHILIPPINE cargo vessel sank following a collision at dawn Thursday with a Cyprus-registered dredging vessel commissioned to undertake dredging and other land-development projects for a new international airport project.
The cargo vessel MV Palawan Pearl sank after it collided with dredger BKM 104 at about 2:10 a.m. at the anchorage area of South Harbor in Manila, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
No one was reported injured in the incident, the PCG said, and has already deployed BRP Panglao to closely monitor and provide assistance to Palawan Pearl, which remained half submerged about 100 meters from the Baseco Beach shoreline.
Measures have also been taken in order to prevent and contain a possible oil spill from the cargo vessel.
“The PCG District National Capital Region-Central Luzon is now preparing for the laying of four segments of oil spill boom as a mitigating contingency measure regarding said maritime incident,” PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said.
Rexchel Fabrigas of Palawan Pearl told the PCG that the
cargo vessel has at least 3,000 liters of diesel in its storage tank and was also carrying 60 liters of engine oil and five liters of bilge oil.
Balilo said that based on initial investigation, the BKM 104, a foreign utility vessel, has been contracted to undertake dredging and land-development activities for the ongoing construction of the New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.
He said that the cargo vessel was running at seven knots when the BKM, which was on her right side and running at 10 knots, hit it on its quarter port.
In Palawan, meanwhile, the PCG ship BRP Cabra intercepted a motor banca loaded with 125 sacks of ammonium nitrate and suspected smuggled cigarettes in the waters off Malampaya gas plant.
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound used in making explosives and had been widely used by terrorists around the world in carrying out bomb
attacks.
Balilo said BRP Cabra was patrolling Malampaya’s waters last week when it sighted M/B Escario Express steaming toward the Malampaya gas platform.
“When the PCG approached the boat, it was found to be suspicious as it started to speed up and immediately fled the area,” he said.
“After the hot pursuit that lasted for more than 25 minutes, said motor banca was intercepted by the PCG-BFAR [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources] joint law enforcement operatives,” he added.
The Coast Guard’s K9 unit joined the boarding inspection and found sacks of ammonium nitrate and boxes of smuggled cigarettes on board.
Balilo said the boat, manned by five people, failed to present documents on the transport of their cargo.
Image courtesy of PCG