Two vessels collide near Corregidor; one dead, 18 rescued, 1 missing —PCG

A dredger and a chemical and oil product tanker collided in the waters off Corregidor Island on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday.

One crew member died, 18 others were rescued, while search and rescue (SAR) operation is ongoing for the last missing crew member, the PCG said.

The vessels involved in the collision were the Sierra Leone-flagged MV Hong Hai 189 and the Marshall Island-flagged MT Petite Soeur.

The Philippine Coast Guard says two vessels, the MV Hong Hai 189 and MT Petite Soeur, collided in the waters off Corregidor Island on Friday, April 23, 2023. One crew member of MV Hong Hai 189 died, while 18 were rescued. Search is ongoing for one more crew member missing. PCG

The MV Hong Hai 189, a dredger, came from Botolan, Zambales and had 20 crew members on board. The MT Petite Soeur on the other hand, a chemical and oil product tanker, left the port of Mariveles, Bataan prior to the incident, the PCG said.

The MV Hong Hai 189 capsized, according to the Coast Guard Sub-Station Corregidor.

The PCG deployed its vessel BRP Capones and another vessel as well as aluminum boats and rubber boats to respond to the maritime incident and assist in the search and rescue.

Sixteen of the 20 crew of MV Hong Hai 189 were rescued by Heng Da 19, the rescue vessel near the area at the time of the incident.

The fatality, a Chinese crew member, was recovered as of 7:30 a.m. on Saturday by the search and rescue team, the PCG said.

Two crew members meanwhile were rescued and brought to the hospital for immediate medical assistance and identification.

"The Coast Guard Aviation Force is currently conducting an aerial survey to augment the SAR operations," the PCG said.

As for the 21 crew of MT Petite Soeur, they were all in good physical condition, it added.

"The authorities will conduct a port state control inspection to MT Petite Soeur to hold and detain the vessel," the PCG said. —KG, GMA Integrated News