PCG tows ship that ran aground off Coron, crew members safe

The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday towed the landing craft tank that ran aground off Coron Island in Palawan on 14 September afternoon.

PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said the LCT Lady Alina was maneuvered away from the shallow waters near Cadis Point in Palawan at around 8 a.m. Friday.

The landing craft tank remains temporarily anchored in the vicinity waters off Coron Island while the PCG, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development conduct an area assessment.

Based on the initial investigation of the PCG, the LCT Lady Alina ran aground due to a miscalculation of the duty lookout caused by zero visibility.

The crew of the landing craft tank said they did not see the reef that they hit on their global positioning system.

The 17 crew members of the vessel were rescued.

Balilo said all crew members "were in good physical condition."

The PCG team already inspected the incident area for possible traces of oil spill, which "and yielded a negative result," said Balilo.

The Coron Coast Guard Station and Marine Environmental Protection Unit also reported no oil spill after the incident.