SAN JOSE, Antique – Some 4,500 bags of cement have been recovered from the cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of this capital town last month.
Inclement weather, brought about by the southwest monsoon on Sept. 3, led the MV Star Liberty to drift into a rocky portion of the shore.
Philippine Coast Guard Antique Station Commander Perlita Cinco on Monday said ship owner J. Diamond R. Shipping, Inc. has started retrieving the bags of cement on Oct. 5.
“The bags of cement are being transported to the San Jose de Buenavista dump site,” Cinco added.
Mayor Elmer Untaran has allowed the bags of cement to be delivered at the dump site in Barangay Pantao. The cement will be used for other purposes, he added.
“Hopefully this October, the retrieval of the cement would already be finished so that the cargo vessel could be offloaded already,” Cinco said.
The 383-gross ton cargo ship was anchored at the San Jose de Buenavista Port from Cebu on Aug. 28. It carries 20,000 bags of cement.
Twelve out of 22 of M/V Star Liberty’s crew members were hurt when the ship ran aground.
The bruised crew members were brought to the hospital for treatment. Others were housed in the barangay hall.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Region 6 is conducting a two-day training on basic safety for boat owners in Antique.
The “Modified Basic Safety Training” began yesterday at the provincial capitol.
It highlighted the importance of registering passenger sea vessels with Marina and the boat crew’s training on first aid, rules of the sea, typhoon signal awareness and the proper use of life jacket.
“We want to inform the boat owners and captains that they are not only there for business but also they have the responsibility with their passengers to make them feel secured and safe to use maritime transport in Antique,” said Gov. Rhodora Cadiao, who supports the activity. (With a report from PNA/PN)
