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Forty-six empty containers were reported to have fallen overboard a domestic container ship off Hamilo Point in Nasugbu, Batangas, according to the Philippine Coast Guard
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MV Span Asia 39 on September 3 was underway and approaching the vicinity waters of Calatagan, Batangas when it encountered rough sea conditions accompanied by heavy and continuous rolling
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The container lashings reportedly loosened while the vessel was navigating in the vicinity waters of Hamilo Point
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BRP Malapascua, PCG’s 44-meter multi-role response vessel will be deployed to accelerate search, drift-tracking, and containment operations for the lost container units
Forty-six empty containers were reported to have fallen overboard a domestic container ship off Hamilo Point in Nasugbu, Batangas, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
PCG-Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) in a social media post on September 3 said it immediately launched safety, assessment, and control operations following an initial report on the incident that occurred approximately 1.78 nautical miles west of Hamilo Point.
MV Span Asia 39 is one of the vessels of domestic carrier Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp.
According to the master of the vessel, MV Span Asia 39 departed Davao International Container Terminal in Panabo, Davao del Norte at 3:42 p.m. on August 31 carrying a total of 332 container units and was en route to Manila North Harbor.
At approximately 11 a.m. on September 3, while the vessel was approaching the vicinity waters of Calatagan, Batangas, it encountered rough sea conditions accompanied by heavy and continuous rolling.
PCG said the container lashings reportedly loosened while the vessel was navigating in the vicinity waters of Hamilo Point at approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the nearest shoreline. This resulted in the loss of 46 container units overboard, consisting of 30 units of 20-foot containers, 11 units of 40-foot containers, and five units of open-type containers.
Upon receiving the initial report, the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog Command Center immediately dispatched Coast Guard Station (CGS) Batangas and Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Nasugbu, and CGS Cavite personnel to conduct on-site verification and incident assessment.
A drone from CGS Cavite was deployed to conduct aerial assessment, monitoring, and verification of the containers’ reported location. Moreover, at approximately 2p.m. on the same date, while MV Span Asia 39 was maneuvering for anchorage at Manila North anchorage area, another container unit fell overboard and subsequently sank.
CGDSTL coordinated with CGSS North Harbor under Coast Guard District National Capital Region to establish direct communication with the master of MV Span Asia 39 for operational updates and hazard mitigation. CGSS Nasugbu was also directed to establish on-scene command and control in the incident area to lead response actions with the assistance of the local government unit and Bantay Dagay in Nasugbu. Precautionary navigational warnings and VHF Securite broadcasts were promptly issued to warn all transiting vessels to maintain a sharp lookout and exercise extreme caution.
BRP Malapascua, PCG’s 44-meter multi-role response vessel will be deployed to accelerate search, drift-tracking, and containment operations for the lost container units.
The Marine Environmental Protection Force Southern Tagalog has identified key marine protected areas in the surrounding waters including Taytayin Cove, Santelmo Cove, Pico de Loro (Cutad) Cove, and Fuego Point Marine Sanctuary to monitor and mitigate any potential ecological or coastal impacts.
The Coast Guard Civil Relations Group- Southern Tagalog, meanwhile, conducted a community outreach in coastal areas to conduct social engineering, heighten public awareness, and promote safety precautions.
READ: Mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea now in effect
