Cargo ship capsizes while docked in Cebu, Philippines

A cargo ship capsized during offloading operations in Cebu province, Philippines, on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 25.

The incident occurred at 16:37 local time as the crew of the 350-tonne Eva Mary Grace were offloading sacks of cement with the aid of a crane at the port of San Fernando in Cebu.

A strong swell struck the vessel and caused it to list heavily to port until it finally capsized, a Philippine Coast Guard official told local reporters.

All 12 crewmembers of Eva Mary Grace were rescued without injury by responding coast guard personnel. The crane operator suffered minor injuries and was rushed to hospital following the capsizing.

The coast guard has also since deployed a pollution response vessel to San Fernando Port after it was confirmed that Eva Mary Grace‘s fuel tanks had spilled some 12,000 litres of diesel during the incident. Containment of the spill is ongoing.