DFA: 6 pinoys rescued from shipping vessel off Malaysia

At least six Filipino crewmembers were rescued after the Taiwanese fishing vessel they were on caught fire off Negeria Sembilan in Malaysia last July 15. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the six Filipinos and two Taiwanese were aboard the FV Jiang Sheng when it caught fire 15 nautical miles from Port Dickson. "Except for a few bruises, the crew did not sustain any serious injury," the DFA said in a press release. It added that Philippine Embassy representatives met the Filipino crew at Hotel Embassy in Port Klang, where they are temporarily staying. Citing a belated report from the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia, the DFA identified the rescued Filipinos as Alex Lastimoza, Dave Labrador, Joelan Ronas, Armando Espiritu, Jeffrey del Campo, and Hajie Tolentino. The report also said that the six were aboard the ship along with a Taiwanese captain and a Taiwanese chief engineer. According to the report, the 700-ton, 56-meter-long vessel was on its way back to Singapore after a fishing trip in Mauritius when it encountered engine problems while passing through the Strait of Malacca at the crack of dawn. A fire reportedly broke out in the engine room at around 7 a.m., forcing Captain Choio Ching Yuan to send a distress call and order the crew to abandon ship. They boarded three life rafts and waited for rescue, as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency dispatched two rescue boats to the scene. However, a passing luxury cruise liner, Star Virgo, rescued the crew at around 9 a.m. while en route to Port Klang from Singapore. The rescued crew were brought to the Star Cruises Terminal in Port Klang for medical attention. According to the DFA, the fishing vessel caught tuna and blue marlin by means of heavy duty, mechanized fishing hooks. Its cargo hold had a capacity of 100 tons. The crew used to offload their catch to bigger cargo ships, which bring this to Japanese and Taiwanese fish markets. Malaysian maritime authorities plan to tow the stricken vessel to a safer area to ensure that it does not pose any danger to passing ships in what is one of the world's busiest shipping routes. However, the insurance company refused to tow and salvage it because only the ship's hull and engine are insured. The Philippine Embassy advised the rescued crewmen they will probably be sent home immediately after they give their statement on the incident to Malaysian maritime authorities. Also, the crewmen were advised on how to claim their unpaid salaries and monetary damages for the personal belongings they lost in the vessel. The DFA said the crew were scheduled to give their statement to maritime officials on July 21. - TJD, GMANews.TV