Iloilo City — Another ship of Sulpicio Lines Inc. figured in an accident that damaged some parts of a port project here at 1 p.m. Thursday, a port official said yesterday.
The MV Cotabato Princess, which was bringing a cargo of fruits, vegetables and fish, was about to dock when the incident happened, said Francisco Salem, manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) port services division in Iloilo port.
Salem said the MV Cotabato Princess was maneuvering to dock when a strong wave hit the ship causing it to bump into the bored piles that were part of the port expansion.
Engr. Ramelo Sumague, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) shipbuilding specialist, said the ship drifted to the side, hitting the bored piles of the ongoing project at the wharf due to the “strong water current.”
The International Builders Corp., the contractor of the P180-million port expansion, informed the PPA that the Sulpicio vessel hit 16 bored piles, 12 of these were smashed while four were skewed, he said.
The contractor pegged the damage at P16 million, Salem told the Inquirer.He added that the construction works of the project was about 80 percent completed.
However, the Marina has certified the seaworthiness of the MV Cotabato Princess so it could proceed to the next port of call.
Sumague said the vessel has acquired "negligible damage" with only scratches and dents on the side.
The initial assessment of the ship's underwater hull showed “no damage,” Sumague told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
“But, it must undergo a thorough underwater inspection from an accredited surveyor,” Sumague added.
Sumague said the MV Cotabato Princess was allowed to sail for cargo but not with passengers due to the recent sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars.
The vessel, which came from Zamboanga, arrived here around 1p.m. Thursday.
It was scheduled to leave for Manila by 3 p.m. of the same day but the incident took place, said SLI staff Belen Zerrudo in a phone interview.
The Inquirer tried to get the comments of the SLI Iloilo Manager Kim Pancho and the skipper of the ship, Capt. Virgilio Ilagan, but they were out of office according to Zerrudo.
Zerrudo said she did not have any knowledge of incident and could not say when the ship would sail for Manila. INQUIRER |
