PCG: Cargo vessel runs aground off Batanes

A domestic cargo ship ran aground Friday, 300 yards off the pier of Basco, Batanes, a Coast Guard official said Saturday. Capt. George Ursabia, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Northern Luzon District Commander, also said all 18 crew members of the M/V JLL Victorita, skippered by Capt. Alberto V. Trambulo, were safe after they were rescued by PCG personnel around 3:20 a.m. Friday.

According to Ursabia, the M/V JLL Victorita, a 250-gross-ton cargo vessel, drifted ashore after typhoon Chedeng's strong winds snapped the mooring ropes that fastened it to the pier. “The ship was not carrying any cargo when the incident happened as she already unloaded all of which [gravel & sand] at the port of Basco on May 26," said Ursabia, adding the ship was still structurally sound. An investigation by the PCG is ongoing to determine if the incident caused an oil spill, as the PCG had initially detected a hole in the engine room, Ursabia said. He noted that the ship's fuel tanks still contain some 6,000 liters of diesel oil. — Anna Mae Lamentillo/LBG, GMA News