Coast Guard-Bacolod directs distressed vessel to prove seaworthiness

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has directed the SRN Fast Seacrafts, the operator of distressed M/V Weesam Express 6, to prove the vessel's seaworthiness before it can sail again. The advice was issued by the Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Bacolod on Wednesday after the Iloilo City-bound fast craft, with 172 passengers and 19 crew members on board, was rescued back to Bredco Port here following a distress call Tuesday afternoon. Chief Petty Officer Louie Campaner, head of Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Bacolod, said the crew sought assistance after a rudder failure or a malfunction in the device used for steering the vessel. 'It was a steering casualty but the engine and the power generator were still functioning,' he said. In a report, the CGSS Bacolod advised the vessel operator to file a marine protest and secure a certificate of seaworthiness from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) before it can resume its trips. A marine protest is 'a declaration on oath, by the ship's master, of the circums tances attending the damage or loss of his vessel.' It is also 'intended to show that the loss occurred by the perils of the sea, and concluding with a protestation against any liability of the owner to the freighters.' M/V Weesam Express 6 encountered a steering problem about 30 minutes after departing Bredco port at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. By 1:15 p.m., the crew sent a distress call to the CGSS Bacolod, which contacted a tug boat operator to dispatch boats to rescue and tow M/V Weesam Express 6 back to Bredco port. The distressed vessel arrived in Bacolod past 3 p.m., Campaner said. Coast Guard District Western Visayas's vessel --BRP Kalanggaman-- escorted the towing operation. Source: Philippines News Agency