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SuperFerry 9 passengers finally arrive at South Harbor


After more than half a day of delays at sea, the WG&A SuperFerry 9 on Wednesday morning finally ended its trouble-plagued voyage and brought its 1,577 passengers to the Manila South Harbor. Transportation officials said the commercial ferry docked at around 6 a.m. Wednesday, about 14 hours later than its estimated time of arrival of 4 p.m. Tuesday. Based on government records, the ferry carried 60 children and 17 infants. The sea vessel is owned by the Aboitiz Transport Systems Corp. The Coast Guard's Maritime Disaster Coordinating Council instructed the shipper of the vessel to submit a marine protest, or an official report, to the Port State Control Manila. A marine protest is a statement executed by the ship master "narrating abnormal circumstances" that occurred during the trip. This document will be used as basis for a maritime investigation. Based on initial investigation, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) found that the Manila-bound ferry first suffered engine problems on Monday afternoon while sailing at the vicinity of Pulanduta Point near Jintotolo Island, Masbate. Hours after departing from Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, the crew members reported that the sea vessel's engine cylinder head had cracked, causing the engine to stall. The damaged cylinder head was replaced and the ship was able to continue its voyage. However, the replacement cylinder head suffered a leak at about 2 p.m. that same day while crossing the Kapilejan Point in Romblon. The chief engineer was compelled to order the engine crew to stop the main engine. At about 7:25 p.m. that evening, mechanics were finally able to fix the leakage. Last March, a fire struck WG&A SuperFerry 12 while it was at sail some 60 nautical miles from Bantayan Island in Cebu. Some 664 passengers were onboard during the incident. Authorities later arrested three people whom they suspected of setting the ferry on fire. On Feb. 27, 2004, Abu Sayyaf bandits purportedly bombed a WG&A vessel, Superferry 14, killing 116 people. The bandits reportedly asked for protection money from the company.-GMANews.TV

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