Marina grounds vessels in sea mishap

(UPDATE) THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) on Thursday suspended the operations of Ocean Jet 6, a passenger ferry, and Hop & Go 1, a water taxi, to allow for the investigation into their collision off Batangas on Wednesday.

Suspensions have been issued against the recreational safety certificate of Hop & Go 1 and the passenger ship safety certificate of Ocean Jet 6, Marina chief Sonia Malaluan said.

«Both vessels will be subjected to thorough safety inspections to determine their seaworthiness,» Malaluan said in a statement.

In a situation update, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Ocean Jet 6 is being held for investigation, while the smaller vessel, Hop & Go 1, has been towed to a yard in Puerto Galera.

The PCG is collecting the sworn statements of those involved and other information in its ongoing investigation.

At around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, MV Ocean Jet 6 and Hop & Go 1 collided in the waters off Matoco Point in Batangas City, killing the captain and a crew member of Hop & Go 1 and injuring two Chinese passengers.

Ocean Jet 6 was on its way from Batangas to Calapan, while Hop & Go 1 was en route to Batangas from Puerto Galera at the time of the collision.

The water taxi was carrying two more crew members, two Chinese passengers, and a Swedish passenger — a total of four Filipino crew and five foreign passengers were on board during the incident.

None aboard Ocean Jet 6 were injured. All 19 crew and 105 passengers were safe and in good physical condition.