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Philippine military officials report that a Vietnamese-flagged cargo vessel ran aground in the waters off the western island province of Palawan on Monday, December 26.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command said in a social media post that the general cargo vessel Dolphin 15 had earlier departed Tacloban in nearby Leyte province and was en route to Ho Chi Minh City when it encountered deteriorating weather conditions off Balabac, Palawan.
The ship was given clearance by local authorities to seek shelter and drop anchor. However, the ship needed to reposition as its anchor had been dragged by strong currents.
Dolphin 15's hull made bottom contact two nautical miles off Balabac in the late evening (local time) of Monday. Although no significant damage was detected, the crew decided to temporarily abandon ship due to the possibility that the vessel would end up lying on its side in the shallow waters.
The Vietnamese crew were provided food and shelter by responding AFP personnel as they awaited the arrival of another vessel from the same shipping company.
The other vessel arrived in Balabac at around 14:40 on Tuesday, December 27. Officials said an attempt will then be made to refloat and then tow the grounded Dolphin 15 as soon as conditions in the area improve.
No injuries have been reported from the incident.
