Philippine Coast Guard Rescues Engineer Trapped on Capsized Ship

The Philippine Coast Guard responded to the reports of a capsized cargo ship in Cebu province on March 11. It was able to rescue the crew of the vessel, but reports that one dockworker was killed in the incident.

A small inter-island cargo ship named Theresa I was docked at the APO Cement Port in Naga City, Cebu. It was conducting a loading operation, which involved a de-ballasting procedure. The vessel lost stability, rolling to one side, which caused the cargo to shift, and the vessel capsized.

As the vessel capsized, one of the mooring lines snapped. It hit a dock worker from the cement plant, who was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

There were 19 crewmembers aboard the ship, and according to the details from the Coast Guard, when they arrived, they heard sounds coming from the ship. One of the engineers was trapped in the engine room of the vessel. They were able to extricate him from the ship, and he was reported to be receiving medical attention.

The other crewmembers were accounted for. They were reported to be in good condition.

The Coast Guard deployed 100 meters of oil spill boom around the vessel. They are monitoring for possible oil leaks and report that an investigation is underway regarding the incident.