Ro-ro vessel listed in MisOr, 448 passengers safe

The passenger ship safety certificate of the Cokaliong Shipping-owned MV Filipinas CDO was suspended by the Maritime Industry Authority, following its listing last Sunday in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, putting the lives of more than 400 passengers in danger.

According to the report of the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday, the RoRo vessel listed 30 degrees while traversing the vicinity waters off Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental at around 08:05 p.m. on 12 November 2023.

The vessel's listing, a nautical term to describe when a vessel takes on water and tilts to one side, was attributed to the strong winds it encountered caused by bad weather.

"The suspension of PSSC of MV Filipinas CDO shall remain effective and may be restored /reinstated after a satisfactory result of Marina survey inspection and/or evaluation of all available data surrounding the incident," according to the letter of Annabell Lagas, Marina Regional Director of Regional Office X, addressed to Chester Cokaliong, president of Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Inc.

The Coast Guard Station Cagayan de Oro reported that MV Filipinas CDO returned and safely arrived at the CDO Port around 11:20 p.m.

"They assisted in the disembarkation of 448 passengers (all in good physical condition) and four rolling cargoes on board," the PCG said.

PCG spokesperson, Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, said that PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, instructed the Maritime Safety Services Command to investigate and check the safety procedures and protocols implemented by the shipping company and its crew.

"This is to assure the public that we value the safety of the passengers and as much as possible incidents like this are prevented, especially now that the Christmas season is approaching where maritime traffic is increasing," Balilo emphasized.