Ferry with 682 on board sinks after collision off Cebu

This does not look at all good:


" A passenger ship sank Friday night after it figured in a collision with a cargo vessel off the coast of Talisay City, Cebu Friday night.

Authorities said the collision between 2GO passenger vessel MV St. Thomas Aquinas and Sulpicio Express 7 occurred in Lawis Ledge at around 8:45 p.m.

Hundreds of passengers of the 2GO passenger vessel MV St. Thomas Aquinas had to jump into the water as the ship began to sink.

A total 692 passengers and crew members were reportedly on board the vessel.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Vice-Commandant for Operations Rear Admiral Luis Tuason Jr. said search and rescue operations are being conducted by the PCG and Philippine Navy. Several fishing vessels are also helping in the rescue.

Tuason assured the families of the passengers that authorities will make sure that all passengers will be accounted for.

“Ayaw natin magkaroon ng casualty sa pangyayaring ito,” Tuason told dzMM.

The MV St. Thomas Aquinas came from Agusan del Norte and was headed for Manila via Cebu.

One of the passengers, Mantilla Domingo, said the ship was scheduled to arrive in Cebu at around 10 p.m.

"Something caught up with the vessel and then I just saw that it was already slowly sinking. The passengers then started jumping out of the vessel," said Domingo.

Another passenger who was rescued, Glenda Sabadilla, said most of the passengers were already sleeping when the incident happened.

"Then there was a commotion and everyone was already searching for their life vests, and then we all started jumping out of the sinking vessel," she said."


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/08/16/13/2-ships-collide-cebu

more here:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/philippine-passenger-ferry-sinks-29504770.html

"St Thomas of Aquinas". ex Superferry 2:

Owned by "2GO", who are for all practical purposes the Government of China, via a Dutch shell company, in bed with the Aboitiz family, who are close to the Aquinos.

Is this the same ship? Much modified if she is...

A shipping journalist friend in Manila says that so far 220 people have been rescued and estimates that there will be perhaps 500 dead.

I insisted Kay went to Negros by plane; I don't think she will need much persuading in future.

Amazing. Seems that these disasters are quite common in the Philippines.

I can bore for England on this, John.

DO NOT, EVER travel by ferry in the Philippines. If you must, bring your own lifejacket and STAY ON DECK (now you know why passengers nick the lifejackets from Cebu Pacific all the time..).

The Philippines holds the all comers record for the worst passenger ship disaster in peace time... the "Dona Paz"/"Vector" collision. The Dona Paz was owned by Sulpicio Lines who own the cargo ship that collided with the "St Thomas of Aquinas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Doña_Paz

The ship in the picture like almost all Philippines interisland ferries was built in Japan, in this case in 1973, as a Japanese inter -island ferry, and much modified in the Philippines:

If this is the right ship the IMO number is 7304663, call sign DXYB, built 1973, managed Aboitiz Jebsen, classed ABS, last special survey 23/23/12, P&I entry with Steamship Mutual, deadweight 2947, GT 11405.

These ships are all old, they have all had additions to the superstructure, often including extra generators for the additional aircon, their officers and crews are paid less than deepsea wages so the best people work deep sea, spare parts for Japanese equipment are hard to come by, expensive, and often detained in Customs so "pattern" spares made from pot metal in the back streets of Cebu are used instead... they are frequently overcrowded... shall I go on?

Warning noted.

The ex-Superferry lot, now the "2GO" lot, in particular, have a reputation for "flashy" ship-handling at high speeds in and near ports.

I happen to know that Maersk Line have an absolute ban on their staff travelling by ferry in the Philippines, and have had for years. And they are the world's largest shipping company, so they know a thing or two...

I spent a few years on a few of Maersk's drilling rigs. Great bacon butties on board!

That was my point!

The first pic comes from Wikipedia's page for 2GO, the second one is floating about the Internet. Both show a ship in Superferry colours, not 2GO colours, but hat Equasis says she drydocked for special in December 2012 so she would gave been repainted for sure....

I reckon the one in the second pic is the Superferry 9...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperFerry_9

Yes, I seem to recall the biggest private company in the world?

I have flown Maersk a number of times too.

here with luck is the other ship

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8223500@N05/5836185454/

Built 1981 for Syria as the ABEER S, DNV class withdrawn, 11464 dwt

Also Maersk Olie og Gas.

24 confirmed dead... 274 missing....

http://gcaptain.com/passenger-ferry-in-collision-with-cargo-shi/

From that article...

That, does not help the situation.

Why was the passenger manifest incomplete,
Is Tuason's passenger count of 870 factual or guesswork?

RIP to the poor departed souls.

I know a chap here in the IOM who spent 14 years in the Philippines. He said that the manifests are worthless. No one knows how many people are actually on board these ferries. Akin to a football ground here in the 70s when numbers were never truly known and stadiums were overpacked.