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One Dead, Five Rescued from Sunken Tug in Batangas

Published Nov 20, 2012 9:04 AM by The Maritime Executive

A tugboat being towed by another vessel capsized in Calatagan, Batangas after being hit by big waves, killing one crew and trapping five others.

Reports disclosed that M/Tug Phil Pasig was towing barge Jovili from Delpan, Binondo, Manila and was bound for Mabini Anchorage in Batangas when it was battered by strong winds and big waves enhanced by South West Monsoon, which resulted for M/Tug Phil Pasig to run aground approximately 400 mters away from the shoreline of Brgy Sitio Payapay, Calatagan, Batangas.

Around 5:20am yesterday, M/Tug Alphard, skippered by Capt. Ruben Jason Abarcar of Harbor Star Shipping Services, Inc., arrived at the subject area to conduct salvage operation on the grounded M/Tug Phil Pasig.

As M/Tug Phil Pasig was being towed, it suddenly capsized due to big waves which trapped all crew members on board. Five crew eventually managed to escape aloft at the bottom hull of their tugboat.

Immediately personnel of Coast Guard Detachment (CGDet) Calatagan and personnel of Marine Environmental Protection Unit-Southern Tagalog (MEPU-STL) conducted rescue operation utilizing hired M/Bca Benjie together with other civilian volunteer and successfully rescued all survivors.

At 7:30AM on the same date, search and rescue team retrieved the cadaver of one of the crew members identified as C/E Sienen Bobier. By 8:10AM, the search and rescue team brought the survivors and cadaver to the detachment.

The crew were identified as Samuel Abad, Dave Alcantara, Joel Basilan, Jimmy Pinto and Rico Catipunan.

The survivors were brought to the nearest hospital for medical check-up and Boebier to a funeral home from Nasugbu, Batangas for proper disposition.

Captain Joeleo B Torrecampo assumed duties and responsibilities as new skipper of ill-fated tug boat and the former Captain Ricky Barte with crew named Joel Basilan were disembarked as per instruction of their shipping company.

While no sign of oil spill was reported, the captain was advised to file for Marine Protest to CGS Calatagan.

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Source: Philippine Coast Guard