REAL, Quezon — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued 40 passengers and 18 crew members after a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger vessel tilted to its right side about 10 meters from Real Port in Barangay Ungos, Real, Quezon, early Friday, October 30.

The incident involving MV Virgen de Peñafrancia II, operated by Starhorse Shipping Lines Inc., occurred at around 12:44 a.m. while the vessel was traveling from Polillo Port to Real Port with 14 units of rolling cargo on board.

The PCG said all 58 people aboard, including two infants, were safely evacuated by around 3:30 a.m.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Real subsequently assessed the rescued passengers and crew members and confirmed that all were in good physical condition.

PCG Spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the Coast Guard was deploying oil spill booms to protect nearby coastal communities from possible marine pollution.

Although marine diesel oil naturally dissipates, PCG personnel were inspecting the vessel’s remaining fuel and oil inventory to assess the risk of an oil spill. The crew reported that the vessel had 1,300 liters of marine diesel oil in its service tank.

“We have directed the shipping company to apply for an Emergency Salvage Permit and undertake measures to safely remove the distressed vessel,” Cayabyab said.

She added that the PCG was conducting further investigations and monitoring to determine the cause of the incident and assess its environmental impact.

Cayabyab also assured the public that sea passenger operations in Southern Tagalog would not be affected by the incident.

The Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog recorded 4,107 outbound passengers and 4,373 inbound passengers between midnight and 6 a.m. Friday, the highest passenger volume among PCG districts nationwide during the period, according to the spokesperson.

Cayabyab said the PCG would continue to intensify vessel safety and security inspections during the observance of Undas to protect sea passengers. (PCG Press Release)