Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 16) — A roll-on/roll-off vessel ran aground near the shore of Barangay Nasunugan in Banton, Romblon early Sunday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The PCG said that at 12:12 a.m. it received a report from a shipping firm that the vessel, which carried 15 vehicles, had beached.The PCG said all 129 passengers and crew onboard MV Maria Helena of Montenegro Shipping Lines have been rescued.MV Maria Helena left Lucena Port in Quezon Province for San Agustin Port in Tablas, Romblon when the incident happened around Sunday midnight.Authorities said rescue teams composed of coast guard personnel and disaster responders from Romblon immediately conducted rescue operations.According to the PCG, MV Maria Helena ran aground and tilted due to an imbalance caused by its cargo and seawater that entered the vessel through its drainage system. This happened when the lashing that secured the vehicles on board broke, following an explosion of a tire of one of the vehicles.
