Sulpicio vessel damaged after mishap at Cebu port

MANILA , Philippines - A passenger vessel owned by Sulpicio Lines Inc. was damaged after it was hit by another passenger ferry in Cebu City on Monday morning, a radio report said. No one was reported hurt in the incident. The report said Sulpicio’s MV Princess of the South was docked at the Cebu International Port (CIP) when MV Super Ferry 12 - owned by the Aboitiz Transport System - hit the ship about 10 a.m. Princess of the South Captain Ernesto Edar said the MV Super Ferry 12 was just leaving the port to resume its voyage when it “accidentally" hit the Sulpicio ferry. The Super Ferry vessel stopped at the Cebu port after the vessel met rough waves on its way to Cagayan de Oro City. The captain of the Sulpicio Lines vessel added that the mishap bore a hole on his ship’s forward steel plating. Even after the incident, the Aboitiz vessel still pushed through with its scheduled trip and sailed off south toward Cagayan de Oro City. The MV Princess of the South is the latest Sulpicio vessel to be involved in a maritime incident. The more recent and tragic one is the capsizing of the MV Princess of the Stars off Sibuyan Island in Romblon, where hundreds died and hundreds more are believed to still be trapped inside the upturned vessel. Before the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars, four other Sulpicio ships had figured in sea mishaps, namely MV Doña Paz, MV Doña Marilyn, MV Princess of the Orient, and MV Princess of the World. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV