Nine foreigners who were the crew of a cargo ship which sent a distress call on Tuesday were rescued in Northern Samar on the same day by the Coast Guard and the Office of Civil Defense.

Six Chinese, one Taiwanese and two Hong Kong nationals were the crew of MV Jin Ming 16 Hao, a 68-meter Taiwanese-flagged cargo vessel which was distressed at vicinity of waters 5.86 nautical miles northeast off Marubay Island, Laoang, Northern Samar.

“At about 5:30 pm yesterday, search and rescue team of Coast Guard Station Northern Samar and Coast Guard Sub Station Laoang personnel with Office of the Civil Defense successfully rescued all crew members of said cargo vessel,” Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Capt. Armand Balilo said Wednesday.

“Subsequently, survivors were then brought to the nearest coastal area of Laoang with the assistance of local police, Philippine Army, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Office (MDRRMO) of Laoang and Pambujan,” he added.

Balilo said based on initial report “the cargo vessel’s two compressors were taking in water which caused its engine to stop.

“Accordingly, the crew can already see Marubay Island and their vessel was drifting towards it. Unfortunately, no lifeboat was available and the crew requested for immediate evacuation,” he said

The PCG has set up segments of oil spill booms around the MV Jin Ming 16 Hao to prevent possible oil spills.

“PCG’s Marine Environment Protection Unit in Catarman, Northern Samar has put up segments of oil spill booms around the half submerged vessel that is presently listing to starboard to prevent the possible spread of oil,” he said.

Balilo said according to a report from one of the vessel’s crew, “the cargo vessel has approximately 1,400 liters of bunker oil and a shipment of liquor bound to Chile while all hatches of the vessel have been secured.”

He added PCG personnel in the area are conducting investigations to determine the cause of the incident.

“The Maritime Casualty Investigation (MCI) team of Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas is now at the Municipality of Laoang to get the sworn statements of the crew members in order to determine the cause of the incident,” said Balilo. Robina Asido/DMS