Vietnamese Freighter Grounds off Albay Coral Reef
Coral reefs in the vicinity waters of Legazpi, Albay were damaged by a Vietnam-flagged cargo vessel which ran aground 900 yards off the entrance of Legazpi City Port last Monday, June 15.
MV Ocean 03, with 4,532 gross tonnages and manned by 21 Vietnamese crew, reportedly ran aground and hit the marine environment at the area while maneuvering enroute to Albay Gulf.
The incident was reported by Renan Del Mundo of Bantay Dagat-Legazpi to the personnel of Coast Guard Station (CGS) Albay which immediately deployed its men along with representatives from the Port State Control Division.
At around three in the afternoon, MV Ocean 03 was pulled from its agrounding site and maneuvered northeast of Legazpi Port.
Capt. Tran Dai Nghia confirmed that no oil spill was seen at the area.
Port State Control Division issued deficiencies Code 02106: Hull Damage Impairing Seaworthiness, and Code 15101: Safety and Environment Policy to MV Ocean 03.
PSC also advised the master of the vessel to coordinate with its agency, Hoang Anh Shipping Joint Stock Company, to provide a surveyor from a classification society who will conduct an underwater hull inspection to determine the seaworthiness of the said vessel.