PHNO-HL: ANOTHER VERSION: WAVES, NOT SHIP, SANK PHILIPPINE FISHING BOAT

ANOTHER VERSION: WAVES, NOT SHIP,
SANK PHILIPPINE FISHING BOAT

MANILA, JUNE 29,
2012 (INQUIRER) By Christine O. Avendaño, Gabriel Cardinoza -
Here comes a different version of the Bolinao "ramming" incident—it may
not have happened after all.
From interviews with the Pangasinan survivors, the foreign cargo vessel
previously thought of as having rammed and sunk the fishing boat AXL John might
not even have hit it, although it might have sunk the boat because of the big
waves it kicked up as it was passing through.
One fisherman was killed, four others were missing while three survived when
the fishing boat sank on June 20 in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Quoting the three surviving fishermen of the AXL John, Transportation
Secretary Manuel Roxas II on Thursday said the fishing boat sank after the
foreign vessel, believed to be registered in Hong Kong, swept past them with
great force.
Swamped by waves
Roxas said that before the cargo vessel surged past, the two-engine fishing
boat was already docked in an artificial reef after experiencing motor problems.

"They tied their boat (to the reef) so they won't drift … and while there,
the cargo vessel passed by (but) did not ram them…," he told reporters at the
Manila International Container Terminal in the Port of Manila, where he attended
the inauguration of a berth owned by the International Container Terminal
Services Inc.
What might have happened was that the huge waves kicked up by the passing
vessel rocked the fishing boat, according to Roxas.
"There were big waves and the more they (the fishermen) were battered (lalo
silang naalog)," Roxas said.
PCG probe
Roxas said it was possible the foreign vessel did not see the boat, or saw it
and tried to avoid it.
"We really do not know. This is all speculation," he added.
Roxas told reporters it was better to wait for the outcome of the
investigation of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which has already coordinated
with the Hong Kong maritime department.
Roxas and Vice Admiral Edmund Tan, head of the PCG, said they were awaiting
the reply of the Hong Kong authorities to their request to locate the foreign
vessel.
'Hong Kong' markings
The survivors earlier said their boat was struck by a cargo vessel that bore
markings on the stern reading "Hong Kong" and other markings that looked like
Chinese characters.
Roxas said the survivors were starting to get better from the hypothermia
they had suffered and were able to give their version of what happened.
Asked what specific charges the government might file against the cargo
vessel, Roxas only said there was a maritime convention that required ships to
"give succor and assistance if you pass by an accident or to someone needing
help" at sea.
But he said he did not know if there was a penalty for violation of this
particular convention.
Storm hampers search
Roxas said the PCG helicopters combing the area where the boat sank had not
spotted any sign of it.
On Thursday, as Tropical Storm "Dindo" crossed northern Luzon, the Coast
Guard suspended its search for the missing fishermen.
Navy Lieutenant Jomark Angue, operations officer of the PCG district in
northwestern Luzon, said the storm had prevented his men from resuming their
aerial and surface search operations.
"But we are still conducting foot patrols along the coastal areas of the
Ilocos provinces," Angue said in a telephone interview.
On Wednesday, the PCG deployed a helicopter and a tugboat to scour the waters
west of Ilocos Sur for the missing Amante Resonable, Fred Celino, Arnold Garcia
and Domy de los Santos of Bolinao town in Pangasinan.
Four of their companions were rescued by fishermen from Magsingal, Ilocos
Sur, four days after the incident. One of them died in a hospital in Vigan City.

Angue said that after eight days, there was a slim chance the missing
fishermen could still be found. "But we will not stop until we find them, dead
or alive," he said.
Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste said the only hope the four were alive was if
they had been picked up by foreign ships.
"It's unlikely," Celeste said by telephone.



Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved




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