Five Japanese crew members rescued in Oriental Mindoro —PCG

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday said it has rescued five Japanese crew members onboard a vessel which tilted off the coast of Navotas, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

The maritime incident occurred at around 6:30 a.m. on March 11, 2023, according to the PCG.

The rescued Japanese crew members were onboard MV Catriona which encountered vessel listing or tilting.

Upon receipt of the report from a transiting vessel, the PCG said its Command Center coordinated with the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog and PCG Station Oriental Mindoro to conduct a search and rescue (SAR) operation.

The PCG SAR team on board BRP Habagat (TB-271) successfully located the distressed vessel and carefully rescued the following Japanese crew members:

• Itsuo Tamura, 86
• Hiromu Nishida, 83
• Hamagato Tsukasa, 80
• Osamu Kawakami, 74
• Hata Isamu, 74

The PCG said that the Japanese crew members departed Japan en route to Davao.

“While underway, MV Catriona was accidentally damaged, causing the vessel to list (tilt),” it said.

“The PCG SAR team performed a medical check-up on the rescued individuals to ensure they remained in good physical condition,” it added. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA Integrated News