Criminal cases vs. Vienna Wood crew dismissed, vessel allowed to leave Philippines —PCG

The criminal cases filed against the crew of the MV Vienna Wood, which collided with Filipino fishing vessel Liberty 5 in June, have already been dismissed, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

In a message to reporters on Sunday, PCG spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo said that the Hong Kong-flagged ship was allowed to sail again on September 17 after being released from Philippine custody.

“Case was dismissed by the provincial prosecutor. MV Vienna Wood was allowed to leave last September 17,” Balilo said.

The collision between the foreign vessel Vienna Wood with Philippine fishing boat Liberty 5 happened at 10:20 p.m. of June 27, with 14 members of the fishing boat going missing.

On July 7, the search and retrieval operations for the 14 Filipinos onboard the fishing vessel formally ended.

Criminal complaints were filed against the shipping company, master and officers of the cargo vessel, the PCG said on July 8.

On July 15, the PCG said a motion to issue a hold departure order against the ship's crew was granted. — Joviland Rita/BM, GMA News