Typhoon Nina Claims Two Ro-Ros and a Tanker

Two ro-ros have sunk and a tanker has run aground in adverse weather caused by Typhoon Nina.

The ro-ro Starlite Atlantic sank off Batangas Bay in the Philippines on Monday. 15 of the vessel’s crew have been rescued, another eight are believed to be missing.

Starlite Ferries is reported to have stated that no passengers or cargo were on board the ship when it sank. However, local media indicate that some of those missing are passengers and that a female passenger has died.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing but are being hampered by rough seas.

Another ro-ro, the Shuttle Roro 5, sank off the coast of Mabini, Batangas, as a result of the typhoon. All 25 crew and passengers are said to have been rescued.

The oil tanker MT Obama ran aground in Marinduque at the height of typhoon Nina, and there are fears of an oil spill. 

So far, as a result of Typhoon Nina, the Philippine Coast Guard and other local authorities have rescued 47 people from the Batangas area. 

The typhoon first made landfall in the island province of Catanduanes at 6:30 pm Christmas Day, with winds gusting to 235 kilometers (146 miles) an hour. It has since made landfall four more times, triggering alerts for floods, landslides and storm surges of up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) high.