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Survivors, victims of ill-fated M/V Devon Bay arrive in Manila
Fifteen survivors and the remains of two deceased crew members of the ill-fated M/V Devon Bay were brought to Manila on Monday morning.
They were on board the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua which docked at Pier 13 in the Port Area.
PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Galvan and representatives of the Department of Migrant Workers, Bureau of Quarantine, and the agent of M/V Devon Bay were at the site upon their arrival.
Personnel from a funeral service provider were also at the site for the proper disposition of the two cadavers.
The Singaporean-flagged general cargo vessel M/V Devon Bay with a 21 all-Filipino crew encountered a maritime incident while en route to Yangjiang, China from Gutalac, Zamboanga del Sur, the PCG said Friday.
The M/V Devon Bay, which was loaded with iron ore, was last located 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point, Ango Bay, Pangasinan around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The PCG on Friday said it had received a report that the China Coast Guard had rescued the crew of the Singaporean-flagged general cargo vessel.
Two Filipino seafarers were reported dead after their cargo vessel capsized in waters near Scarborough Shoal, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said on Friday.
“As of 12:30 pm, 17 people have been rescued. 14 are in stable condition, 2 have been confirmed dead, and 1 remains under emergency medical treatment,” the Chinese Embassy said in an update.
The PCG on Sunday received the 15 survivors and the remains of two crew members from the China Coast Guard.
The turnover operation was conducted approximately 168 nautical miles west of Tambobong, Pangasinan.
The PCG also said that the BRP Cape San Agustin (MRRV-4408) and a PCG Islander aircraft are continuing the search for four more of the Devon Bay's crew members in the area.
Cargo load, weather
In an interview with Balitanghali, the PCG said that the capsizing of the vessel could be due to the weight of the nickel ore it was carrying then.
“Well, based po sa interview natin sa isa sa mga survivors, ito po kasing Devon Bay ang kargamento po nito ay nickel ore. So it’s loaded of 55,000 tons of nickel ore. So nagkaroon po ng liquefaction 'yung moisture ng cargo that caused the shifting of the weight to the left side of the shift,” said PCG spokesperson Capt. Noemi Cayabyab.
(Well, based on our interview with one of the survivors, the cargo of this vessel, the Devon Bay, was nickel ore. So it’s loaded with 55,000 tons of nickel ore. The liquefaction that occurred in the cargo's moisture caused the weight to shift to the left side of the ship.)
“At malaki po 'yung effect ng weather that time kasi masyado po talagang maalon at malakas po 'yung current. Pero this is just an initial suspicion po natin. Again we will be conducting investigation and we do not have conclusive data yet,” she added.
(And the weather at that time had a significant effect because the waves were really high and the current was strong. But this is just our initial suspicion. Again, we will be conducting an investigation and we do not have conclusive data yet.) —with a report from Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA Integrated News
