Some 170 people, composed of 162 passengers and eight crew members, were rescued after their vessel ran aground about 670 meters off the shoreline of Barangay Tilik in the town of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, on 5 April.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Coast Guard Sub-Station Lubang responded to the MV Our Lady of Fatima 03 after noticing the vessel’s sudden stop at around 7:45 a.m., shortly after departing Tilik Port en route to Nasugbu, Batangas.

The vessel’s captain said the incident was caused by low tide conditions over a rocky seabed, noting that the weather and sea conditions at the time were reported as calm to moderate.

The vessel was operating within its authorized capacity and carried approximately 250 liters of marine diesel oil and 45 liters of lube oil, with no cargo onboard.

By 8:40 a.m., all passengers had been safely transferred to MV Princess Christine II and were ferried to Tilik Port at around 9:20 a.m.

A joint assessment conducted at around 9:30 a.m. confirmed that the vessel was partially grounded in a shallow area. No oil sheen or signs of marine pollution were observed. Responding authorities also confirmed that the grounding site is outside a Marine Protected Area.

The vessel captain was advised to file a marine protest, while the crew will conduct an underwater inspection to assess any structural damages.

At 10:36 a.m., the Coast Guard Station Occidental Mindoro recommended to the Maritime Industry Authority Regional Office IV the suspension of the vessel’s Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, pending a comprehensive investigation.