Three crew have been killed and two are missing after a product tanker and a dredger collided, causing one of the vessels to capsize off Corregidor Island, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported at the weekend.
According to the PCG, the dredger Hong Hai 189 and a small tanker, Petite Soeur, collided off the historic site at the entrance to Manila Bay.
The PCG said the Petite Soeur had been moored at a petroleum terminal north of Corregidor and set sail, heading southeast at around 9:30 pm.
Hong Hai 189 was sailing into the bay, on a north-easterly course, when the two vessels collided in the waters north of Corregidor at a speed of about six knots.
Petite Soeur survived and headed to a nearby anchorage to await inspection, but the Hong Hai 189 capsize.
Consequently, the PCG launched an operation to rescue the crew.
The BRP Capones, a search aircraft and several small boats rushed to the scene of the accident where a dive team was deployed to search the dredger for any survivors.
The PCG rescued 16 of the dredger’s crew, but one died on Sunday in a Manila hospital.
The bodies of two seafarers, a Chinese national and a Filipino, were recovered at the scene of the collision.
No injuries or casualties were reported aboard the Petite Soeur.
PCG spokesman Armand Balilo said the tanker crashed into the stern of the dredger, but its investigators are still unsure at this stage whether a crossing or an overtaking situation led to the collision.
Officials are examining decisions taken aboard both vessels.
The PCG monitored the towing operations for the capsized Hong Hai 189 from Corregidor Island to waters off Barangay Sisiman on Monday.
Oil spill booms were installed as a precautionary measure, although officials observed no trace of a spill during the assessment.
