Cargo Ship Blown Aground off Philippines

Strong winds and currents forced the cargo ship MT King Andrew to run aground yesterday off the Philippine province of Guimaras, the Philippine Coast Guard reports.

The 1970-built vessel was loaded with close to 1,500 tonnes of cane molasses, carrying 21 crewmen, when the strong gusts of wind drifted the ship off the Light Station Siete Picados in Guimaras.

Upon receiving the notice from the ship master, the personnel of Coast Guard Station (CGS) Iloilo, Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Dumangas and Marine Environmental Protection Unit-Western Visayas (MEPU-WV) proceeded to the area to investigate the incident.

The master stated that they departed Lapuz Wharf in Iloilo around 11:00 p.m. local time Tueesday, bound for Calaca, Batangas, when they encountered unfavorable weather conditions.

The inspection team reported no ingress of salt water in the Philippine-flag ship, nor traces of oil sheen in the vicinity.

The team advised the master to coordinate with the ship owner to hire a tug boat to pull their vessel out from grounding position during the highest tide and file marine protest regarding the incident.

Image: PCG/Instagram