Photos: Death Toll From Chinese Dredger Capsizing Rises to Nine

The death toll from the capsizing of the dredger Hong Hai 16 has risen to nine people, with two more still missing, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. Special operations divers are still working inside the upturned hull of the ship to recover additional remains, despite dangerous structural hazards and low visibility.

The sand carrier Hong Hai 16 was operating off Barangay Malawaan on Tuesday morning in moderate seas. At about 0520 hours, the vessel capsized for reasons still under investigation. There were 25 crewmembers aboard, and 14 were rescued alive, including six Philippine nationals and eight Chinese seafarers.

Two bodies were retrieved Sunday, one from the cargo hold and another from a control room. One more was retrieved from the accommodations block on Saturday afternoon, and two were found on Friday, one in the hold and another in the accommodations area.

Courtesy PCG

On Friday, the local municipality and the Philippine Coast Guard demanded that the shipowner join the on-scene search and recovery mission. "As part of the company's social responsibility, the PCG emphasizes the importance of the ship owner's commitment and accountability by sending a representative to directly assist," the PCG said in a statement.

The owner of the Hong Hai 16 has contracted a commercial salvor to begin wreck removal operations, the PCG said Saturday, and the equipment is expected to arrive on site early next week.

The dredging company that operated Hong Hai 16, Bluemax Tradelink Inc. told Manila Times that it is complying with a stop-work order issued by the province of Occidental Mindoro. A spokesman said that the area of the casualty had been dredged multiple times in the past without issue, and that Hong Hai 16 had all necessary permits for the work.

Courtesy PCG

The PCG plans to look into the shipowner's operations when the time is right, but is focusing on the search and recovery mission for now. "Let's focus on that first before we interject or before we proceed with the administrative cases that we can file against the owner," PCG deputy spokesperson Commander Michael John Encina told Super Radyo.

So far, the PCG's water quality monitoring technicians have detected no meaningful levels of pollution from the capsized vessel. The Hong Hai 16's fuel tanks carried diesel, not bunker fuel, and any spilled petroleum is expected to dissipate. A containment boom has been placed around the ship as a precautionary measure.