DAVAO CITY — Thirteen crew members of M/V Staf Sabang were rescued after their vessel experienced engine failure on Sunday which totally capsized yesterday January 15 in the waters off Zamboanga del Norte.
Christian Marven Sabijon, operations and warning officer of MDRRMO Labason told Newsline that “Around 5:25 afternoon on January 14, 2024, the Philippine Coast Guard Liloy Sub-Station received a distress call from M/V Star Sabang (Cargo Vessel) saying there was an engine failure as they were sailing near the municipal waters of Liloy.
It was then, the PCG and the MDRRMO’s from two towns exerted effort to contact fishing boats sailing near Bayangan Island and nearby communities.
The next call they received at around 2:39 AM of January 15, 2024, the crew abandoned the vessel and were rescued by two motorized bangka nearby and brought them to Murcielagos Island, where they stayed overnight.
The PCG also reported that their Sub Station (CGSS) Salug in Zambaoanga del Norte on Monday rescued 13 crew members of M/V Star Sabang which accidentally tilted due to heavy weather condition off Murcielagos (Bayangan) Island.
The merchant vessel was carrying more or less 170 tons of cement which departed from Cebu going to Zamboanga City.
Bad weather, Sabijon said, hampered the quick response from the PCG, MDRRMO Labason and Liloy.
Due to the bad weather condition, all the crew were successfully brought to the mainland of Labason at around 6:16 pm, they were served with food and given sleepwears.
The crew members are still waiting to be transported from Labason to Sidangan town, where the company’s rescue ship fetch them to sail back to Cebu City.
