Ferry skipper caught off guard as fire spread fast

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN, Philippines — The skipper of MV June Aster, which caught fire last week while on its way to Coron, Palawan, said he ordered the crew to follow emergency procedures but was caught off guard by how quickly the blaze spread, killing at least 77 people.

Captain Roel Sarmiento gave a sworn statement to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), saying he was on bridge watch when a steward reported the fire on Sept. 9, PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab told the Inquirer Wednesday night.

Sarmiento, who surfaced five days after the tragedy, said he ordered the crew to open the bridge doors and direct passengers inside while crew members prepared fire extinguishers and water hoses.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Palawan execs demand action, accountability over deadly ferry fire

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

When he saw the fire growing on the ship’s starboard side, Sarmiento said he attempted to alert passengers through the public address system, but the vessel suddenly lost power.

As the fire rapidly spread, he ordered the crew to lower the life rafts. He said he was still checking whether passengers were within reach when he heard passengers and crew members who had jumped overboard calling on him to leave the vessel.

Sarmiento, however, did not explain why he waited nearly a week before contacting authorities to shed light on the fire, which left 77 dead and 43 survivors.

READ: Shipping giant bans EVs, hybrids after Palawan ferry fire

Article continues after this advertisement

Discrepancy

Meanwhile, the number of people listed as missing was reduced to eight after the PCG located four more individuals listed in the vessel’s manifest who were confirmed not to have boarded MV June Aster when it left Manila on Sept. 8.

Cayabyab said the Emergency Operation Center in Coron discovered the discrepancy on Tuesday and the PCG subsequently verified the information.

Article continues after this advertisement

Three of the four had intended to book tickets from Coron to Manila but mistakenly booked the opposite route, from Manila to Coron, she said.

Cayabyab added that the fourth had booked another ticket and had already traveled to Coron aboard a different passenger vessel on Sept. 5.

The latest verification placed the number of people actually aboard MV June Aster at 145—128 passengers and 17 crew members.

Cayabyab said search and rescue operations were continuing, with responders working to access more areas of the vessel. The engine room remained flooded and crew members continued to siphon out water.

EVs banned

About 75 percent of the cargo deck had been penetrated, but search operations continued in the remaining section because of heavy debris, she noted.

Cayabyab said the cargo deck and engine room remained priority areas because survivors reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke and fire coming from the cargo deck.

“Every piece of evidence we might find is really important,” she said.

Meanwhile, Montenegro Shipping Lines Inc. (MSLI) has banned electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) from boarding its vessels as a safety precaution following the MV June Aster tragedy.

According to MSLI, the ban covers passenger and cargo vehicles across all MSLI routes, including the Calapan-Batangas route, according to a Sept. 16 memorandum issued to vessel masters and obtained by the Inquirer Thursday.

The directive comes amid initial investigation into the Coron maritime accident, including a reported possibility that an electric vehicle may have been involved in the onboard explosion and fire. The investigation has not yet established the cause of the blaze.

MSLI said the measure aims to minimize the risks of fire, explosion, thermal runaway and other hazards associated with EV and hybrid vehicle batteries during vessel operations.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The memorandum directs crews to identify and inspect vehicles before boarding and report any attempt to bring prohibited vehicles aboard to the company’s operations department. —With a report from Ire Joe Laurente