No oil spill was detected, although some corals were damaged after a Roll-On, Roll-Off (RORO) sea vessel ran aground in Larena, Siquijor, a Coast Guard official said Oct. 28.
Lt. Riza Genebleza, newly-installed commander of Coast Guard Station Siquijor, said they are closely monitoring the M/V Lite Ferry 10 to prevent further damage.
“An underwater assessment conducted by scuba divers this morning indicated that certain corals were damaged when the ship ran aground, although no breaches were observed on the vessel’s hull up to this point,” she said.
The Coast Guard has teams on standby, ready to deploy oil spill booms for containment if the situation arises, she added.
The M/V Lite Ferry 10 was traveling from Tagbilaran, Bohol to Plaridel, Misamis Occidental via Larena Oct. 25 when it ran aground off Larena port before midnight.
A total of 359 passengers and 45 crew members were rescued and taken to safety after the incident.
Genebleza said 250 passengers were bound for Plaridel, while the others were to disembark in Siquijor.
Some passengers have already left for Plaridel, while 45 others remain stranded as they still have cargo on the grounded ship.
Lite Shipping Corp., owner of Lite Ferries, is providing provisions for stranded passengers.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard reported that attempts to refloat the RORO vessel around midnight Monday were unsuccessful, as the tugboat managed to tow it forward for only five to 10 meters.
Another attempt was set during a high tide.
The shipping company has also filed a marine protest with the Maritime Industry Authority regarding the grounding incident, as required by law, Genebleza said. | PNA
