THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP MARIG) have rescued the 17 Vietnamese crew of a Vietnamese-flagged general cargo vessel, Viet Hai Star that is currently half-submerged in the vicinity waters off Balabac, Palawan yesterday evening , November 21, 2023.
Viet Hai Star , carrying 4,000 tons of rice, ran aground at approximately 810 yards off Balabac Port.
It departed Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, going to Cagayan de Oro City when the crew discovered a leakage at the starboard side of the bow.
The PCG and PNP MARIG immediately launched a joint search and rescue (SAR) team to ensure the safety of the foreign crew on board.
They reached the vicinity waters at around 9:45PM and checked the status of the crew and the distressed vessel.
Upon initial assessment, the crew found out that the first compartment of the bow was already flooded.
They continued to monitor the situation until they eventually decided to abandon the ship around 4:20AM today, 22 November 2023.
The joint SAR team carrying the 17 Vietnamese crew – all in good physical condition – arrived at Balabac Port around 5:10AM.
At around 9:21AM, the Coast Guard Station South Western Palawan monitoring team reported that Viet Hai Star was already half-submerged.
The PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Unit (MEPU) in Palawan conducted an oil spill assessment within the vicinity waters and yielded a negative result.
Meanwhile, the PCG continues investigating the incident to additional information regarding the maritime incident.
