Chinese cargo vessel suspected in OccMin fishing boat mishap

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — A Chinese cargo vessel is under suspicion of colliding with a fishing boat on 5 December around 40 nautical miles off the coast of Punduhan in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, while it was anchored to a payao or an aggregating device for handline fishing.

Jaziel Juano, the owner of the fishing boat named Ruel J, hailing from Barangay Bagong Sikat, Puerto Princesa City, recounted on Thursday the incident that occurred to her boat that was in Sablayan at the time for a six-month fishing sojourn.

According to Juano, her crew was taking a break and waiting for the nightfall to use a generator and commence fishing. While they were tethered to the payao, their boat was struck by the cargo ship.

"When they saw that the ship was targeting them, they lowered a small service boat to move away. However, even though they had moved a considerable distance, the impact still affected the small boat. Our fishing boat, on the other hand, got destroyed and submerged," she explained.

Juano informed the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Sablayan about the incident, and they relayed that the cargo vessel, which had collided with her fishing boat and failed to offer assistance, had departed from the Busuanga municipality area and was headed to Indonesia.

She is now in contact with the PCG to verify the cargo vessel's Chinese origin, as suggested by markings on its hull in the available photographs. Additionally, she is attempting to identify the company operating the vessel to facilitate potential compensation for the damages incurred.

She emphasized that her family, along with the families of the five crew members who thankfully survived the incident, relied entirely on their three-tonnage fishing boat for their livelihood.

"They mentioned it was a Chinese vessel that collided with us. We hope to recover our livelihood because it's the only source of income for my family and the families of my crew, as their loved ones also depend on the earnings from their fishing trips," she pleaded.

The five crew members are still in Sablayan, awaiting their return to Puerto Princesa City.