MARINA suspends safety certificate of tilted vessel in Quezon

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The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) suspended the safety certificate of the MV Virgen de Peñafrancia II after it tilted over in the waters of Real, Quezon, barring it from operating until further notice.

The RoRo vessel, operated by Starhorse Shipping Lines Inc., was carrying 40 passengers (two of them infants) and 18 crew members when it listed a mere 10 meters away from the Real Port. The vessel was also carrying 1,300 liters of oil, prompting the Philippine Coast Guard to deploy oil booms.

Three passengers were injured because of the incident.

“Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the suspension of the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC) of MV Virgen de Peñafrancia II following an incident at the Port of Real, Quezon, early Friday, October 30, that left three passengers injured,” the MARINA said in a Facebook post.

“Acting on Secretary Dizon’s directive, the Maritime Industry Authority suspended the vessel’s PSSC and ordered the immediate deployment of marine casualty investigators to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify possible safety lapses,” the agency added.

While the ship’s PSSC is suspended, the vessel is not allowed to operate pending a thorough safety inspection and technical evaluation to assess its seaworthiness.

The MARINA said three people were injured after they were struck by a drum that shifted during the incident.

Based on the MARINA’s initial report, the incident occurred at around 12:25 a.m. when a mooring line snapped amid strong currents, causing the vessel to develop a “list" — a nautical term for a ship taking on water on one side, forcing it to tilt over.

Despite these initial findings, the MARINA said that these are not conclusive yet.

Further investigation will be done, the agency said. The MARINA will examine the ship’s condition, mooring arrangements, stability, cargo-securing measures, and compliance with applicable maritime safety requirements.

GMA News has reached out to the Starhorse Shipping Lines Inc. for a statement and will update the story once they respond. —AOL, GMA News