Coast guards monitor stranded cargo ship at the coast in Pangasinan

Coast guards monitor stranded cargo ship at the coast in Pangasinan
Philippine Information Agency 19th December 2019 https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/263437637/coast-guards-monitor-stran...

AN FERNANDO CITY, Dec. 16 (PIA) - - Coast guards in Northern Luzon are closely monitoring the stranded cargo ship at the coastline of Barangay Patar, Bolinao, Pangasinan.

Captain Charlie Rances, the commander of the Coast Guard District Northwestern Luzon (CGDNWLZN) based in Poro Point San Fernando City, La Union, said the M/V Chemitec cargo vessel ran aground at about 500 meters distance from the resort area of said place at about 7:00 PM on December 8, 2019 due to engine failure.

The vessel carrying with more or less 15,471 tons of paraxylene material was supposedly bound for Ningbo, China from Brunei when it encountered engine trouble.

Paraxylene is reportedly used as a basic raw material in the manufacturing of plastic products.

The vessel's 23 crew members led by Captain Chen Xiao Hua, was carrying 20 Chinese nationals and three from Myanmar, all of whom are safe when the ship ran aground at the rocky portion of the shore. Fortunately, no coral reef had been hit during the incident.

All the crews are staying inside the vessel while the processing of the permit of the salvor company that would tow it to the safer ground is ongoing.

Rances allayed the fear of the residents living near the area of the incident saying that there's no possibility of a spill of liquid material from the vessel as this is well-secured.

"Although the cargo vessel was on trouble, it doesn't cause any harm to the environment especially to the residents because the ship is free from any leakage," he said.

Aside from the coast guards, representatives from the Philippine Navy, the Pangasinan police office, Philippine National Police Maritime Unit, DENR, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are also monitoring the stranded vessel. (JCR/FGL, PIA 1)