Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4) — Three Filipino fishermen died after a foreign commercial vessel rammed their boat while they were sailing in waters near the disputed Bajo de Masinloc, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Wednesday.
Citing a crew member of the fishing boat “Dearyn,” the PCG said the Filipinos’ watercraft was moored to a payao, or an anchored fish float, some 85 nautical miles northwest of Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal), when it was hit at around 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 2 by a suspected a Marshall Islands-registered oil tanker.
The PCG added that eight Filipino crew members were fishing in different locations while six, including the captain, remained in the mother boat. Due to the bad weather, the remaining crew members did not detect the approaching foreign vessel resulting in the collision.
Bajo de Masinloc, also being claimed by China, has been the subject of escalating tension between Manila and Beijing, and the boat ramming can potentially add to the complications.
The PCG two weeks ago said it removed a 300-meter-long barrier installed by China in the southeast portion of the shoal amid warnings from Beijing for the Philippines not “to stir up trouble” in the area. The shoal lies 124 nautical miles (NM) west of Zambales province and falls within the Philippines’ 200 NM exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“May sama ng panahon sa north at maari affected yung visibility sa pinanggalingan ng insidente,”PCG Spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo told CNN Philippines’ Balitaan. “Maari rin na mataas yung freeboard [ng barko] at hindi sila nakita.”
[Translation: The northern portion of the country is experiencing bad weather and it possibly affected the visibility where incident occur. It may also be because the freeboard of the foreign vessel is high. That’s why they were not seen.]
The 11 crew members who survived the incident left the area using eight service boats and arrived at Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan at 10 a.m. on Oct. 3.
The crew members also brought the dead, including their captain, to Pangasinan.
The PCG said its cross-referencing of details provided by the fishermen indicated “Pacific Anna,” a crude oil tanker, may have been the vessel that rammed the Filipinos’ boat.
“The PCG will reach out to the flag of the vessel and [the] next port to be visited by the said vessel to be boarded by the Port State Control Officers,” the coast guard said in a statement.
Pacific Anna is registered under the flag of Marshall Islands. Balilo said it was in the area at the time the incident occurred. It was en route to Singapore from South Korea.
“Hindi natin sinasabi na ‘yun na ‘yun kaagad,” Balilo said. “Nagkakalap pa po tayo ng ibedensya para maging matibay yung ating findings.”
[Translation: We’re not saying yet that Pacific Anna was the one that collided with the Filipino fishing vessel. We’re still gathering evidence to strengthen our findings.]
The PCG earlier urged the owner of the Filipino fishing boat to file a marine protest.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government will provide support and assistance to the victims and their families.
“We assure the victims, their families, and everyone that we will exert every effort to hold accountable those who are responsible for this unfortunate maritime incident,” Marcos tweeted.
“Let us allow the PCG to do its job and investigate, and let us refrain from engaging in speculation in the meantime,” he added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs also extended its condolences to the families of the deceased fishermen.
