Distressed ship off Ilocos heads to Subic on own power

The Philippine Navy said the ship earlier reported to be in distress northwest off the coast of Ilocos Norte has recovered and “is currently moving on its own power towards Subic and a tugboat was arranged to assist the vessel." M/V Oceanic Union, at 3:25 a.m. sent out a distress call and asked to be rescued, according to a statement of the Navy Public Affairs Office. A Navy patrol gunboat and a diesel-fueled fast craft was sent out for search and rescue operations. The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center, which relayed the distress call, said that about 12 hours later, at 3:45 p.m., the ship reported that the water in its hold was pumped out and the situation it faced was under control. — ELR, GMA News