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178 Saved from Sinking Ship off Philippines, Possible Oil Spill

Published Aug 1, 2011 2:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Philippine Coast Guard and nearby fisherman have rescued all 178 people who were passengers and crew of the MV Asia Malaysia that tilted for 3 hours before finally sinking into the ocean off the Philippines early Sunday morning. 

The cargo-passenger MV Asia Malaysia had been heading from the Cebu region to the Iloilo province when the ship began to tilt 35 degrees on its starboard side, four nautical miles off Calabasas Island in Ajuy. The Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc.-operated ship suffered hits from strong waves, but it was not immediately obvious to the captain as to what was causing the tilt. 

He deployed a distress call to the Coast Guard and ordered the crewman and all passengers to abandon ship, as the 2,400-ton MV Asia Malaysia ran about four miles, or 6 kilometers, from their destination.  The ship then sank while in the midst of heavy rain, a Coast Guard spokesman reported.

While it is unclear due to mixed reports how many people the MV Asia Malaysia was carrying exactly, Coast Guard vessels, fisherman, and passenger ships have reportedly saved 178 people, including 44 crewmembers and 134 passengers. 

A Coast Guard helicopter has been scouring the area for any other possible survivors and to check for an oil slick that could possibly have been produced from the sinking cargo vessel.  A Commodore for the Philippine Coast Guard stated that the ill-fated ship was carrying 21,000 liters of fuel prior to sinking in the Visayan Sea off the coast of Ajuy town in northern Iloilo.  The rescue of the crew and passengers has set the PCG’s sights primarily on preparing for containment of a possible spill, as the area is one of the country’s richest fishing waters. 

PCG and Trans-Asia Shipping Lines have dispatched oil spill response teams to the area in case there was a rupture.

The sinking of the MV Asia Malaysia follows a chain of battering weather conditions in the area, with tropical storms and powerful typhoons wreaking havoc over the Pacific Ocean.