By: Glazyl Y. Masculino and Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) here suspended Millenium Uno roll on-roll off (Roro) vessel after its engine room reportedly caught fire at Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port Friday afternoon.
Lieutenant Rockcliff Buling, PCG-Negros Occidental head, said the fire started around 3:45 p.m. while the vessel was docked at the port.
Buling said one of the crew was about to start the engine when the blaze broke out.
“Initially, nagkaroon ng faulty electrical wiring ang panel board kaya nag spark,” he said.
“The firefighters had difficulty penetrating the room because they need compressed air breathing apparatus. The smoke is very harmful but they were able to overcome it,” he added.
The fire was put out after 20 minutes. No injuries were reported.
Buling said there were no passengers on the vessel when the incident occurred. It also did not cause damage to the other parts of the vessel, he added.
Buling said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has yet to determine the estimated cost of damage as they continue to probe the incident.
“In the meantime, the vessel is suspended to travel as we closely monitor and check the status of the ship,” he said.
The vessel will be under fire watch to avoid unnecessary damage and further ignition, he added.
He said that it was the first time that Millenium Uno experienced such incident.
“They haven’t noticed anything suspicious while they were traveling from Iloilo to Bacolod,” he added.
He said they have already coordinated with the owner of the vessel and they will meet on Saturday to discuss more about what happened.
RAMMING INCIDENT
Meanwhile, a fisherman was injured after another Roro vessel rammed his fishing boat off the coast Bacolod City Thursday evening.
Authorities identified the victim as Nonito Carlos, a resident of Pontevedra town’s Barangay Miranda.
Carlos told PCG-Bacolod City that he and his brother were fishing in two separate boats off the coast of Bacolod City.
As he was working on his fishing lines, he saw two vessels heading towards Bacolod City, and another vessel heading for Dumangas, Iloilo.
Carlos said he recognized the Dumangas-bound vessel belonging to ferry company TriStar Megalink Corp.
As the vessel was approaching, Carlos immediately signaled the vessel with his light.
However, instead of steering clear of each other, Carlos claimed the vessel continued straight at him until it eventually rammed and crushed his fishing boat.
Carlos said he managed to jump away prior to impact claiming he was nearly sucked in by the vessel’s propeller and he was thrown about in the water hitting him in the remnants of his boat.
The victim was later rescued by his brother who was nearby when the incident occurred and they immediately went back to shore to seek medical attention.
Lt. Senior Grade Buling said a representative from TriStar has already coordinated with the victim and they are willing to provide financial assistance.
Buling said Carlos and the ferry company have also come into an agreement, and the company is sincere in helping out the victim.
