Coast Guard rescues stranded vessel
A fast craft from Bacolod City carrying 67 passengers ran aground off the Siete Pecados in Guimaras island around 7 a.m. yesterday. Fortunately, the vessel was safely brought by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to the Dumangas port.
Weesam Express I left the Bacolod City port at 6:30 en route to Iloilo City but ran aground along Siete Pecados due to strong winds and big waves.
PCG Iloilo commander Harold Jarder said they were immediately alerted of the incident and they sent personnel to assess the situation of the vessel.
Jarder said they also sent the Coast Guard vessel BRP Edsa 2 for possible transfer of passengers but it was not feasible.
"Transfer of passengers was not feasible because of the big waves," Jarder said, "so we decided to just tow the stranded vessel."
Two tug boats towed the vessel going to the Dumangas port which is the nearest point from the Siete Pecados.
The tug boats began towing Weesam Express I by noon time. The towed vessel arrived the Dumangas port around 5 p.m.
Jarder said the towing of the vessel was quite slow because of the big waves. "We would like to ensure the safety of the vessel and its passengers," he said.
A male passenger on board Weesam Express I interviewed by Bombo Radyo Iloilo said they were just surprised when the vessel suddenly stopped near Siete Pecados.
The passenger said nobody from the vessel informed them about what happened. Later, they were just given snacks.
The News Today called up the Iloilo office of Weesam Express for a statement on the incident but a lady personnel said that their officers were busy attending to the problem.