PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- A barge transporting construction aggregates ran aground in the shallow waters off Barangay Buena Suerte, El Nido town in northern Palawan Wednesday morning.
Seaman 1st Class Jobert James Borja, Coast Guard Substation El Nido’s (CGSS) duty gangway, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the barge, LCT OMS 6, got beached on the sandy area of Buena Suerte.
He said the incident was reported to the CGSS by its crewmen shortly before 11 a.m., just several meters away from the pier of El Nido.
“The captain of the barge had already been called to the CGSS, but until now, he has not appeared here,” Borja said.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Calixto Vargas, also of the El Nido CGSS, said the landing craft tanker arrived in the bay of El Nido at about 11:30 a.m. on February 4.
However, on Wednesday morning, the vessel’s captain reportedly conducted a “sea trial”, a maritime jargon that means “measuring the performance and general seaworthiness of the boat”.
“Ang sabi, nag-conduct daw ng sea trial ang crew para sa steering wheel nila, pero nag-accidentally malfunction daw, kaya sila nasadsad sa buhangin (It was said that the barge’s crew conducted a sea trial to test its steering wheel, but it accidentally malfunctioned. That’s why they hit the sands in the shallow water),” Vargas said.
He added that contrary to fears that the barge may have already leaked oil or fuel, Coast Guard personnel had said that so far, none had been detected.
“Wala pong oil or fuel leak. Pupuntahan na din ang barge para malaman kung anong nangyari at bakit sumadsad (There is no oil or fuel leak. Our personnel will go to the barge to determine how the incident happened),” he added. (PNA)
File photo of El Nido courtesy of Judith Distal of Art Cafe
