Passenger vessel tilted off Romblon shoreline —PCG

A passenger vessel carrying over 80 people and other rolling cargoes listed near the shoreline of Banton, Romblon past midnight on Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. 

The PCG said the incident involving MV Maria Helena of Montenegro Shipping Lines Inc. occurred approximately 100 meters off Barangay Nasunugan at around 1 a.m., after a tire of one of the rolling cargoes blew up, which broke the lashing.

The vessel had 50 passengers, 32 crew members, and 16 rolling cargoes on board.

Passengers started disembarking the distressed vessel using its lifeboat at around 3 a.m. They were assisted by the PCG and local passenger boats in the vicinity.

The PCG said nine drivers stayed on board to monitor their rolling cargoes, along with the 32 crew members who continued to assess and monitor the vessel's status.

Other passengers were then brought to the covered court of Barangay Nasunugan for the assessment of their condition and for further assistance.

At around 4:35 a.m., Captain Elmo Sumocol reported that all the passengers were safe.

There were also no signs of cracks or holes on the ship’s hull, according to him.

However, he said MV Maria Helena had listed 10 degrees portside “due to an imbalance of cargoes and seawater that entered the distressed vessel.” —KG, GMA Integrated News