Hold departure order issued vs crew of MV Vienna Wood -PCG spox

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday said its motion to issue hold departure order against crew members of MV Vienna Wood has been granted, spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said Wednesday.

Balilo confirmed to reporters that the respondents of the criminal complaint for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and damage to property following the collision incident were those covered by the hold departure order.

Aside from the seven respondents, other crew members have been included in the HDO, Balilo said.

"[The] PCG impleaded seven for the HDO but FV Irma filed an HDO for 20 crew members. The court consolidated the petition and granted HDO for the 20 crew members of the MV Vienna," Balilo explained.

He said the HDO was issued by Honorable Ulysses Delgado, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 44 of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.

The PCG had filed this to ensure that MV Vienna Wood's bulk carrier will remain under the Philippines' custody. It was also lodged to prevent crew members of the Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel from returning to China while a probe on the collision is ongoing.

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

The search and retrieval operations for the 14 Filipinos onboard the fishing vessel formally ended on July 7. However, the agency said personnel of the PCG Station in Occidental Mindoro will continue to monitor the area where the collision took place.—AOL/RSJ, GMA News