Tanker catches fire off Batangas, 1 dead

A MOTOR tanker caught fire off Batangas yesterday morning, leaving one person dead, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The PCG said it was still determining the identity of the fatality and could not immediately say if the victim was a crew member of the ill-fated MT Sea Horse.

In a statement, the PCG said the vessel caught fire at the Alpha Anchorage Area in Batangas City at around 9 a.m.

Responding personnel from the PCG and Bureau of Fire Protection put out the fire at 11:08 a.m.

“There was one recorded fatality, and investigation is still being done to identify the corpse,” the PCG said, adding investigators are still determining what caused the fire.

“Assessment and further investigation are being done at Coast Guard Sub Station Batangas City,” the PCG said.

The PCG Marine Environment Protection-Batangas has coordinated with Petro Company “for a standby oil spill boom in preparation for possible oil spill response.”

Meanwhile, a passenger ship, MV Our Lady of Fatima 03, encountered engine trouble off Nasugbu, Batangas last Saturday.

The PCG said the vessel’s 54 passengers and nine crew members are safe.

The MV Our Lady of Fatima 03 encountered engine trouble at around 9:30 a.m. about a nautical mile southwest off Fortune Island in Nasugbu.

The PCG said the vessel left the Port of Tilik in Lubang at 7:30 a.m. yesterday.

Crew members attempted to fix the engine but were unsuccessful, leaving the ship dead in the water.

“Accordingly, some parts of the engine, particularly the exhaust valve, were damaged causing the dislocation of its push rod,” the PCG said.

The vessel’s sister ship, MV Lubang Express, responded to distress calls last Saturday afternoon, with personnel from the PCG’s Sub-Station Lubang on board to provide assistance.

The MV Lubang Express later towed MV Our Lady of Fatima 03 “with all crew and passengers declared in good condition.” The two vessels reached the Wara Port in Nasugbu at 6:20 p.m. also on Saturday.