By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in southern Negros Occidental is closely monitoring a barge loaded with limestone ore that ran aground off Sitio Muntay, Barangay Maricalum, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, last Saturday due to rough seas and strong winds.
Ensign James Carbajosa, acting commander of PCG-southern Negros Occidental, said two barges, B/Big Job and B/Big Sun, each loaded with 7,500 metric tons of limestone ore and manned by a total of 16 crew members, sought shelter in the Maricalum area around 2 p.m. due to bad weather while en route from Bohol to Rio Tuba, Palawan.
Carbajosa reported that part of B/Big Job’s cargo spilled into the sea when the barge tilted slightly because of strong winds. The company has been informed, but the load must be transferred to an empty barge before the vessel can be removed from the area. Unstable weather conditions have delayed the towing of the barge.
He also noted that the spilled limestone poses no threat to the marine environment, though an assessment is still awaited from higher authorities regarding potential coral damage caused by the aground barge.
Carbajosa stated that the incident could be considered force majeure, as it resulted from natural causes.
As of yesterday, B/Big Sun had been successfully towed to the anchorage area, and all crew members were reported safe.
