By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully rescued 72 individuals aboard M/V Weesam Express 6 after the vessel experienced a mechanical issue shortly after departing from the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port on Friday morning.
Commander Jansen Benjamin, head of PCG-Northern Negros Occidental, reported that the vessel encountered a steering malfunction or rudder failure at around 7:25 a.m. while en route to Iloilo City.
The vessel had been at sea for approximately 20 minutes when the problem occurred.
“A rudder is used to steer a ship or a boat,” Benjamin explained.
Upon receiving a distress call from the vessel’s captain, the PCG immediately responded to the anchorage area near Bredco port, where they safely rescued 57 passengers and 15 crew members.
MTug Vega assisted the PCG in towing the vessel back to the port, with the operation lasting about 15 minutes.
Benjamin confirmed that all passengers were safe. Some opted to transfer to another fastcraft, while others chose to receive a refund for their tickets.
Following the incident, the PCG conducted a vessel safety enforcement inspection and advised the management to file a marine protest.
This will enable the Maritime Industry Authority to assess whether the vessel will be allowed to resume operations after repairs.
Benjamin added that the vessel is currently undergoing repairs at the Bredco port.
This incident mirrors a similar event in November last year when the same vessel also suffered a rudder failure on its way to Iloilo City.
During that incident, the PCG rescued 19 crew members and 172 passengers, including two children.
