Zamboanga City — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has escalated efforts to a deeper, more specialized phase amid ongoing challenges, including shark sightings that pose heightened dangers for divers and rough seas that require additional precautionary measures.

PCG Southwestern Mindanao Commander Commodore Rejard Villegas Marfe said yesterday that PCG has expanded beyond surface patrols of their search for the 10 missing passengers of the ship, who are listed as lost, to include the ship captain, eight crew members, and a PCG safety marshal.

Local reports from Baluk-Baluk Island indicate that a body was found floating in the sea early yesterday morning. Authorities are currently verifying if this is one of the missing passengers.

The vessel is estimated to be resting at a depth of approximately 76 meters (249 feet). Challenges for the dive teams include strong underwater currents and sightings of large sharks in the search area, as the site is known for shark activity.

Marfe said they are now focusing on locating victims and debris in deeper waters of Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Mudtamad town in Basilan province, where the roll-on/roll-off ferry MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank at dawn on Monday.

While PCG claims they are searching only for the missing 10 individuals, some residents of Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have started posting photos of their missing relatives on their Facebook accounts, claiming they boarded the ship bound for Jolo and are now missing.

As of 29 January 2026, a total of 29 bodies have been recovered from the sinking of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3.  

Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman said 11 unidentified bodies are now in Basilan province. The cadavers will undergo examination to identify victims and confirm whether they were passengers or crew.