RoRo vessel tilts to side in waters off Real, Quezon; 58 rescued

A RoRo vessel containing 1,300 liters of oil listed to its right in Quezon waters on Friday, with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescuing 58 people from the distressed boat.

The PCG said that the MV Virgen de Peñafrancia II tilted to its right a mere 10 meters away from Real Port at Barangay Ungos, Real, Quezon, at 12:44 a.m.

Rescued were 40 passengers, two of them babies, and 18 crew members from the vessel, with the rescue operation ending at around 3:30 a.m.

According to the PCG, the vessel was operated by Starhorse Shipping Lines Inc. It departed from Polillo Port and was headed to Real Port, carrying 14 rolling cargoes during the incident.

“We have directed the shipping company to apply for an Emergency Salvage Permit and undertake measures to safely remove the distressed vessel,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said.

“Further investigation and monitoring are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident and assess its environmental impact,” she added.

Cayabyab said that the vessel was carrying 1,300 liters of marine diesel oil in its service tank.

While marine diesel oil naturally dissipated, the PCG deployed oil spill booms to protect the coastal community.

The PCG is also inspecting the vessel’s remaining fuel and oil inventory to assess possible marine pollution.

Photos from the incident showed a shiny sheen around the tilted vessel.

Cayabyab said that Southern Tagalog residents will not be affected by the incident.

According to Cayabyab, the Southern Tagalog has recorded the highest passenger volume across all the PCG districts, with 4,107 outbound and 4,373 inbound passengers from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. on October 30. –NB, GMA News