Sister ship of sunken vessel off Iloilo catches fire

Published August 3, 2011 1:55pm

A sister ship of the vessel that sank off Iloilo last weekend caught fire before noon Wednesday while it was docked in Cebu province. Coast Guard Cebu head Commander Rolando Punzalan cited initial reports showing that the fire at the Trans Asia 2 was put out shortly after it started at about 11:00 a.m. He said they are still investigating the cause of the fire and taking precautions to make sure it does not restart. Punzalan said no one was reported injured in the fire, adding there was no passenger aboard it when the fire broke out. "Ito ay isa sa mga barko na inuulat na nagkaroon ng suspension order from Marina dala na rin sa pinakahuling insidente ... Sa kasalukuyan naka-dock lang ito ," Punzalan said in an interview on dzBB radio. Operation suspended Earlier this week, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) suspended the operation of the nine remaining vessels of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines after Sundayâ€™s incident involving its ship MV Asia Malaysia. The following Trans-Asia passenger vessels are back in Cebu:

M/V Asia Indonesia

M/V Asia Japan

M/V Asia Philippines

M/V Asia China

M/V Trans-Asia

M/V Trans-Asia II

M/V Trans-Asia 3

M/V Trans-Asia 5, and

cargo vessel M/V Asia Pacific. Visayas-based "The Daily Guardian" reported the company was ordered to explain the incident while the Seamanâ€™s Books of all of M/V Asia Malaysia officers and crew were suspended. According to the report, MARINA said the suspension will be lifted â€œonce they have satisfactorily complied and passed the additional International Safety Management (ISM) Code audit and re-inspection to be conducted by MARINA Regional Office VII in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard." A hearing is to be held Friday on the â€œshow-cause order" at the MARINA Regional office VII in Cebu City. MV Asia Malaysia The MV Asia Malaysia sank off the coast of Ajuy town in Iloilo province on Sunday morning. Ship owner Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. will deploy its privately-hired salvaging team to assess the leakage and how to remove the remaining fuel. The PCG also cordoned off with oil spill booms the area where the ship was found to stop another oil leak from spreading. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: iloilo