Philippine Coast Guard Disallowed To Board A Distressed Chinese Ship Off Tacloban On Third Attempt
On Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was not permitted to board a distressed Chinese vessel named the MV Kai Da 899 in Tacloban City, off San Pedro Bay.
The vessel with seven crew members from China has reportedly been docked in that area for the past ten days.
The owner could not present the registration and ownership certificates.
The PCG mentioned that it received a copy of a certificate of deletion of vessel registration issued by the government of China, which means that the vessel is no longer safe to embark on a voyage and fails to satisfy maritime safety standards anymore.
To guarantee the safety of the Chinese individuals and keep a check on their conditions, the coast guard, spearheaded by Lt. Commander Ramil Montemar, the chief of the Coast Guard Eastern Leyte-Tacloban, attempted boarding the vessel on Monday for the third time. However, they were denied.
The Chinese vessel’s captain handed Montemar a phone to talk to their coordinator, recognized as Cherry Song. Song was identified as the woman who had reportedly made a call to the PCG and reported about the situation of the distressed vessel on January 26.
The PCG went on board last on January 27 and 28.
Montemar mentioned that the Chinese crew members are accounted for and have been in stable condition.
BRP Cabra towed the distressed vessel to Tacloban City from Eastern Samar. It is anchored to serve as a sentinel of San Pedro Bay.
The PCG reportedly inspected the oil spill boom installed around the ship to safeguard the area from potential oil leakage.
References: ABS CBN News
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