Passengers Evacuated After Ferry Grounds in Philippines

The Philippine Coast Guard reports the successful evacuation of the passengers from an interisland ferry that grounded late on April 19. Happening during the busy Easter Holiday travel time, the Coast Guard reports a total of 506 people, including numerous infants and children, were removed from the vessel and ferried back to the port.

The vessel Lite Ferry Five, built in 2019, operated a seven-hour route in the southern Philippines from Jagna Port in Bohol to Cagayan de Oro. It is a Ro-Ro ferry transporting passengers and cars and the 79-nautical mile route. The ferry is 2,663 gross tons.

According to the Coast Guard, the vessel was departing at 22:30 on April 19. While it was maneuvering at low tide the vessel reportedly drifted approximately 200 meters (approximately 650 feet) from the port. It came to rest in a shallow area just offshore.

A concerned citizen made the first alert to the Coast Guard which quickly dispatched rescue teams to the vessel. The decision was made to evacuate the ferry with small boats ferrying the passengers to shore. The reports indicate by Sunday morning, April 20 everyone had been successfully rescued without injury from the ship.

Ferry drifted into shallow waters in the southern Philippines (PCG)

The Coast Guard issued a navigational warning and reported a tug was coming from Cebu to extract the ferry. Initial inspections revealed no internal hull damage, the Coast said in its report, but a full marine safety and environmental assessment is underway.

An island national, the Philippines depends on a large number of inter-island ferries and frequently reports various incidents with ferries. The Lite Ferry Company based in Cebu shows on its website that it currently operates 20 ferries on various routes.