The Philippine Coast Guard rescued 58 people from a Ro-Pax ferry that listed heavily to starboard just off Real Port in the Philippines’ Quezon Province early (local time) on Friday, October 30.
Virgen de Peñafrancia II tilted to its right side approximately 10 metres from the port in Barangay Ungos, Real, at around 00:44.
The vessel, operated by Starhorse Shipping Lines, was sailing from Polillo Port to Real Port with 40 passengers, 18 crew, and 14 rolling cargoes on board.
All 58 occupants, including two infants, were evacuated by around 03:30. The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Real later assessed the evacuees and confirmed that all were in good physical condition.
The crew told authorities that the vessel had 1,300 litres of marine diesel oil in its service tank. Coast guard personnel are inspecting the remaining fuel and oil inventory.
Coast guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said marine diesel oil disperses on its own, but the coast guard is using oil spill booms as a barrier for the nearby coastal community.
"We have directed the shipping company to apply for an emergency salvage permit and undertake measures to safely remove the distressed vessel," Cayabyab said.
Under coast guard salvage regulations issued in 1996, a coast guard station or district commander grants an emergency salvage permit to quickly remove objects that have sunk, vessels that have run aground and other navigational hazards. The regulations assign primary responsibility for cleaning up any oil spilled during salvage to the spiller, with the coast guard supervising.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation.